Cut This: The Death Penalty At a time of fiscal crisis, when there are more
needs than dollars, we're calling on Sacramento to cut
the death penalty.
Read more at the California
Progress Report, Huffington
Post, Daily
Kos, and the ACLU.
June 22, 2010
Summer Newsletter Out Now! CLICK
HERE to read all about CCV's latest activities.
June 17, 2010
Urgent Action Needed to Stop Executions in CA! On June 8, California's oversight agency rejected
the proposed lethal injection regulations, citing many
of the objections raised by members of the public in
the comment process. Less than three days later, the
California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation
(CDCR) proposed minor changes to the procedures and
opened another fifteen-day comment period. These minor
changes—made practically overnight—create even more
civil rights and civil liberties problems, not less.
Please join us in saying no to executions! CLICK
HERE to take action! The deadline for taking action
is Friday June, 25th at 5pm PST.
Debate: Death Penalty Only Hurts Victims' Families Beth Wood, Acting Executive Director of MVFR,
wrote a wonderful article chronicling the real needs
of victims and how the death penalty wastes public safety
resources. CLICK
HERE to read the article.
State rejects lethal injection overhaul California's death penalty has been on hold since
2006 due to legal challenges alleging that its 3-drug
lethal injection protocol is cruel and unusual punishment.
In April, the Department of Corrections proposed a new
set of regulations that have now been rejected by the
Office of Administrative Law, meaning a more lengthy
process before the state can resume executions.
Victims to Speak at WCADP General Assembly On June 12, more than eighty death penalty abolition
organizations from around the world will be gathering
for the 2010 Annual General Assembly of the WCADP in
San Francisco.
Be sure to check out "Voices of Victims' Families,"
a panel discusion featuring:
- Renny Cushing, MVFHR
- Kate Lowenstein, MVFHR
- Howard Morton, Families of Homicide Victims and Missing
Persons
- Judy Kerr, CCV
Democrats want to scrap the death penalty The California Democratic part included a declaration
in its platform that theywill "replace the death penalty
with a term of permanent incarceration, which will serve
to protect the public, provide swift and certain
justice for victims' families, and save the state
an estimated $1 billion over the next five years." CLICK
HERE to read about it in the San Francisco Chronicle.
May 13, 2010
Justice for All Murder Victims
Murder victim family members and President of the Equal
Justice Society, Eva Paterson, talks about the Racial
Justice Act. CLICK
HERE to read about it on the California Progress
Report.
April 23, 2010
Solving murders is the best deterrent to crime CLICK
HERE to read a new op-ed by Judy Kerr in the Capitol
Weekly
April 20, 2010
Victim's family gives consent to plea deal for permanent
imprisonment
San Diego victim Chelsea King’s parents came to support
life without parole for their daughter’s murderer instead
of pushing for the death penalty
Murder Victim Family Members Ask Governor to Make
Tough on Crime Choice to End Death Penalty CCV delivers clearly worded plea signed by 150 CCV
supporters to Governor Schwarzenegger: save the state
$1 billion dollars over the next five years by converting
all 700 death sentences in the state to permanent imprisonment
and redirect the money towards victim’s services. CLICK
HERE to read more on the California Progress
Report
April 12, 2010
Investigations sit idle as LAPD detectives hit overtime
caps With its overtime budget decimated, the department
is forcing officers to put cases on hold and take days
or even weeks off. Despite an uptick in killings, the
homicide unit is among the hardest hit. CLICK
HERE to read the article in the Los Angeles Times
April 8, 2010
CCV release new report: "The Silent Crisis
in California: Unsolved Murders" While hundreds of millions of dollars are spent
each year on the death penalty, a shocking number of
homicides remain unsolved in California. This report
by California Crime Victims for Alternatives to the
Death Penalty (CCV) focuses on unsolved homicides in
California, a problem that has been largely ignored
until now by policy makers and the media. By shifting
limited public safety resources away toward solving
every murder we can achieve justice for all crime victims,
not just symbolism for a few.
Editorial: A death penalty record
L.A. County led the U.S. in capital sentences in 2009.
Prosecutors are being overzealous and inhumane. CLICK
HERE to read the editorial in the Los Angeles
Times
March 30, 2010
Time For California to Catch Up With the Death Penalty
Decline
As the United States moves away from death sentences
to permanent imprisonment, California—particularly Los
Angeles County—lags behind, according to a new report
on the death penalty by the ACLU of Northern California
(ACLU-NC). To read about the report click HERE
or HERE.
To read the full report, click HERE.
March 24, 2010
A Tale of Two Murders: A Victim's Perspective on
the Death Penalty CLICK
HERE to read Judy Kerr's blog on Care2.
March 23, 2010
Hayward mother of slain sons channels her pain to
help others CLICK
HERE to read about CCV member Lorrain Taylor in
the "Hometown Heroes" section of the Contra
Costa Times.
March 17, 2010
Revenge Solves Nothing CLICK
HERE to read Judy Kerr's letter to the editor from
the San Bernardino Sun in response to Assemblyman
Curt Hagman's pro-death penalty op-ed.
Greg Wilhoit: An Unsung Hero CLICK
HERE to read a wonderful tribute to our dear friend
Greg Wilhoit by Mike Farrell on the Huffington Post.
March 15, 2010
Who'll Pay for Murder Trials? Sen. Jeff Denham, who helped Modesto and the county
recoup some costs in Peterson's 2004 blockbuster trial,
introduced legislation in Sacramento three weeks ago
allowing counties to seek state reimbursement for prosecuting
those accused of killing officers.
Respond to Pro-Death Penalty Op-ed in the San Bernardino
Sun CLICK
HERE to read the op-ed by Assemblyman Curt Hagman:
"Cooper's victims deserve justice now"
Be sure to make comments and send letters responding
to Hagman's assumption that all victims believe that
the death penalty will bring justice. Send letters to:
voice@inlandnewspapers.com
February 17, 2010
Op-ed written by Judy Kerr in the San Jose Mercury
News
Death penalty takes resources away from solving other
murders. CLICK
HERE to read the op-ed in the San Jose Mercury
News.
Op-ed in the San Francisco Chronicle
Prisons can't afford to cut rehabilitation funds. CLICK
HERE to read the op-ed.
February 8, 2010
9/11 Victim Family Member Opposes the Death Penalty "Families of 9/11 victims say forget politics;
justice needs to come soon in terror trial" CLICK
HERE to read more in the New York Daily News.
February 5, 2010
The death penalty -- it's unworkable
The American Law Institute, instrumental in structuring
the model statutes on which most death sentences are
based, has withdrawn its support of such laws. CLICK
HERE to read the op-ed in the Los Angeles Times.
January 29, 2010
Op-ed written by Aqeela Sherrills in the Los
Angeles Daily News One father's message to another: stop wasting money
on CA's death penalty and spend it on preventing violence
and solving murders instead. CLICK
HERE to read the op-ed.
January 22, 2010
Over 12,000 Object to California’s Execution Plan
Wide range of groups and individuals say lethal injection
proposal continues to be flawed. CLICK
HERE to read the full story.
January 19, 2010
The Sacramento Bee Runs a Series of Letters
on the Death Penalty CLICK
HERE to read them!
January 12, 2010
Great editorial in the Long Beach Press Telegram CLICK
HERE to read the editorial "Death penalty needs
reforms: Life in prison without the possibility of parole
is a better alternative."
January 11, 2010
Victim's Family: "Everytime we think we can
move on, something comes up." CLICK
HERE to read this article in the Los Angeles
Times: "Accused California serial killer to
defend self in 30-year-old death penalty case"
Demand an End to Executions in California!
Please TAKE
ACTION today to stop executions from resuming in
California. This is very urgent, without your help executions
could occur in the near future. Letters must be received
by January 20, 2010 at 5pm PDT.
Both Californians and non-Californians are encouraged
to take action.
BACKGROUND: On January 4, 2010, the California Department
of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) proposed minor
revisions to its lethal injection procedures in the
form of amendments to its previously proposed procedures.
CDCR set a fifteen-day comment period ending January
20, 2010 at 5:00 p.m. during which the public can submit
written comments on the proposed amendments.
CDCR Releases Proposed Modifications for Lethal
Injection Protocol Today, the California Department of Corrections
and Rehabilitation proposed changes to the lethal injection
procedure in a 25-page draft and announced a 15-day
period for public comment. Once any additional revisions
are made and the new protocols adopted, the execution
procedures must pass judicial review for their conformance
with state law and the U.S. Constitution.
Corrections officials last year published the proposed
changes and sought public comment, drawing more than
8,000 e-mails, letters and statements. Tuesday's proposed
revisions incorporated some of the public's concerns,
including clearly delineated areas for execution witnesses
and access to the condemned prisoner's holding cell
for chaplains and spiritual advisors.
December 15, 2009
It Simply Costs Too Much CLICKHERE to read an editorial in the Stockton
Record
December 8, 2009
Purple Hearts On Death Row: War Damaged Vets Should
Not Be Executed By the State CLICK
HERE to read an article written by Karl Keys and
MVFHR board member Bill Pelke; it mentions, among other
stories, Manny Babbitt, the brother of another MVFHR
board member, Bill Babbitt.
December 2, 2009
Join 1,000 Mothers to Prevent Violence for an "Evening
of Healing"
The "Evening of Healing" is an annual vigil
& holiday party put on by 1000 Mothers to Prevent Violence.
It is a free event to commemorate the lives of loved
ones lost to violence. This year, special guests will
be the Honorable Elihu Harris & Dr. Sheila Wells-Harris.
For more information: http://www.1000mothers.org/Evening_of_Healing.html
November 19, 2009
New Documentary: "A Broken System"
"A Broken System," a documentary film by Kohl
Harrington, features murder victim family members, a
prison warden, and an exonerated death row inmate describing
their experiences. WATCH it here: http://www.vimeo.com/7244254
November 12, 2009
Death penalty is Considered a Boon by Some California
inmates
Given the state moratorium on executions and an appeals
process that can last for decades, inmates can expect
to live a long time, and with privileges other prisoners
lack. Click
here to read the article in the Los Angeles Times.
Statement from California Crime Victims for Alternatives
to the Death Penalty:
"Eric Rogers is a young man of tremendous courage and
wisdom. In his willingness to speak openly to the jury
about the dishonor that a death sentence would bring
to the memory of his parents, Eric is wholly supported
by the hundreds of murder victim family members across
the state who make up California Crime Victims for Alternatives
to the Death Penalty (CCV). Members of CCV know that
the death penalty does nothing to serve the needs of
victims; it does not deter homicides, it makes us less
safe, and will cost the state $1 billion over the next
five years, which is money that could be spent on direct
victim services. Permanent imprisonment is an effective
and less costly alternative that serves victims and
society more effectively.
Eric Roger's situation is not unique. The opinions
and wishes of those murder victim family members who
oppose the death penalty are often times ignored by
district attorneys. California Crime Victims for Alternatives
to the Death Penalty fully supports and respects Eric
Rogers' decision."
Does San Quentin Need a New Death Row? A recent panel sponsored by Death Penalty Focus
that included Huffman, Marin County Supe Steve Kinsey,
former San Quentin Warden Jeanne Woodford and Aundre
Herron, an attorney and activist, addressed a standing-room
only crowd at Dominican University on the subject of
whether Death Row should be expanded in particular,
and on the whether we should have a death penalty, in
general.
DPIC
Releases New Report on Costs of the Death Penalty and
Police Chiefs' Views The Death Penalty Information Center has released
its latest report, "Smart on Crime: Reconsidering the
Death Penalty in a Time of Economic Crisis." The report
combines an analysis of the costs of the death penalty
with a newly released national poll of police chiefs
who put capital punishment at the bottom of their law
enforcement priorities.
CCV is Hiring a New Victim Outreach Coordinator
for Southern California California Crime Victims for Alternatives to the
Death Penalty (CCV) would like to announce a job opening
for the position of Victim Outreach Coordinator for
Southern California. This will be an independent contractor
position requiring approximately 45-60 hours of work
per month (12-15 hours/per week). Start date: Jan. 1,
2010.
California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signs bill
to assist wrongfully convicted
AB316 will ease some of the burdens faced by the wrongfully
convicted after release from prison and help them to
get the support they need to productively re-enter society.
This is the first bill based on the recommendations
of the Californai Commission on the Fair Administration
of Justice that has been signed into law. Read
More.
Death penalty expansion eliminated from the Hate
Crimes Prevention Act
Last week the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate
Crimes Prevention Act passed without the harmful death
penalty amendments added by U.S. Senator Jeff Sessions--provisions
which would have expanded the federal death penalty.
Read
More.
October 9, 2009
Two Calls to Action The World Coalition Against the Death Penalty has
designated October 10th “World Day Against the Death
Penalty,” and the World Federation for Mental Health
has designated October 10th “World Mental Health Day.”
Interview on Pirate Cat Radio CLICK
HERE to listen to an interview with murder victim
family members Professor Jan Black and Judy Kerr on
Pirate Cat Radio. The interview also features Stefanie
Faucher of Death Penalty
Focus and former San Quentin Warden Jeanne Woodford.
September 25, 2009
Today is National Day of Remembrance for Murder
Victims Today, September 25, 2009, marks National Day of
Remembrance for Murder Victims. This day was created
to honor the memories of murder victims and recognize
the impact of homicide on surviving family members and
loved ones. It is intended to send a powerful message
to victims' family members that the nation remembers
their tragedy, honors their courage, and vows to do
whatever it can to help them rebuild their lives. It
is also intended as a reminder to all that murder impacts
every person, and every community nationwide. This day
calls for the nation to work diligently to prevent the
violence that destroys lives and devastates families.
I think sometimes when the anti-death penalty movement
tells the stories of victims’ families who oppose the
death penalty, there isn’t enough attention given to
the anger that we have felt. It’s normal to feel that
way, and it’s not like people who have gotten through
it are better than people who haven’t.
I wish the psychiatrist had known to say to me,
“It’s normal to cry so much you can’t function. It’s
normal to be so angry you can barely breathe.” I don’t
think we talk about the anger enough; victims’ families
need to know that the anger is OK, that we have to go
through it.
September 18, 2009
National Day of Remembrance for Murder Victims is
on September 25 Each year, September 25 marks National Day of Remembrance
for Murder Victims. It is a day that reminds us that
murder impacts each and every one of us and every community
nationwide. It is a day to remember and honor each victim
of violence and their courageous survivors. In honor
of this year's Day of Remembrance, CCV will publish
a collection of stories in remembrance of loved ones
lost to violence on our website. We invite you to
honor your loved one and to take a stand against violence
by adding your story to the memorial.
CLICK
HERE to learn how to include your story in CCV's
2009 Day of Remembrance Memorial.
Begin the Healing Letter by Judy Kerr published in the San Francisco
Chronicle. Click HERE
to read.
September 1, 2009
New Report Shows that Cameron Todd Willingham, Executed
in Texas in 2004, Was Innocent An exhaustive new investigative report shows that
Cameron Todd Willingham, who was executed in Texas in
2004, was innocent. The report comes three years after
the Innocence Project released analysis from some of
the nation’s leading forensic experts who found that
the central evidence against Willingham was not valid.
Activists, lawmakers roll out 'People's Budget Fix' California activists and state lawmakers call for
sensible criminal justice reforms to save California
billions of dollars rather than revoking aid to its
neediest residents.
The Contra Costa Times reports: http://www.contracostatimes.com/argus/localnews/ci_12948549?source=rss
Death Penalty and Mental Illness:
Families of Victims Speak out at National Convention;
“Double Tragedies” Report Released
San Francisco, CA—For the first time, families of murder
victims have joined with families of persons with mental
illness who have been executed to speak out against
the death penalty.
Double Tragedies, a report being released today at
a special session on the first day of the annual convention
of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), calls
the death penalty “inappropriate and unwarranted” for
people with severe mental disorders and “a distraction
from problems within the mental health system that contributed
or even directly led to tragic violence.”
The report calls for treatment and prevention, not
execution. It is available online at www.nami.org/doubletragedies.
The report, a joint project of NAMI and Murder Victims’
Families for Human Rights (MVFHR), is based on extensive
interviews with 21 family members from 10 states: California,
Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts,
North Carolina, Tennessee and Texas.
“Family opposition to the death penalty is grounded
in personal tragedy,” said MVFHR executive director
Renny Cushing. “In the public debate about the death
penalty and how to respond in the aftermath of violent
crime, these are the voices that need to be heard.”
“Most people with mental illness are not violent,”
said NAMI executive director Mike Fitzpatrick. “When
violent tragedies occur they are exceptional—because
something has gone terribly wrong, usually in the mental
health care system. Tragedies are compounded and all
our families suffer.”
The report identifies an “intersection” of family concerns
and makes four basic recommendations:
· Ban the death penalty for people with severe mental
illnesses.
· Reform the mental health care system to focus on treatment
and prevention.
· Recognize the needs of families of murder victims
through rights to information and participation in criminal
or mental health proceedings.
· Families of executed persons also should be recognized
as victims and given the assistance due to any victims
of traumatic loss.
At least 100 people with mental illness have been put
to death in the United States and hundreds more are
awaiting execution.
Yesterday's Day of Action a Huge Success!
Many thanks to those who submitted comments during the
comment period and for reaching out to others to submit
comments.
Highlights: -- More than 7,000 comments have been submitted
to the CDCR.
-- More than 100 speakers against the testimony filled
the six hour hearing yesterday forcing them to extend
the hearing hours. Only two spoke in favor of the death
penalty.
-- We have raised dozens of important issues that the
CDCR will be forced to respond to and may become the
grounds for additional legal challenges if the regulations
are not changed, further delaying any effort to resume
executions.
-- We brought together almost 250 murder victims family
members, family of the executed, exonerated, religious
voices, former wardens and law enforcement, teachers
and civil rights activists to demonstrate broad and
diverse opposition to the regulations and the death
penalty.
-- We generated great media coverage, emphasizing our
message of the immediate cost savings available if we
end the death penalty now.
-- We generated 5,000 signatures to our petition to
convert all death sentences immediately, in just 30
days.
-- We brought our message directly to every California
Legislator and the Governor, on the very day they struggled
to fix the budget.
Press Generated around the Day of Action and Lethal
Injection Hearing:
Death Penalty Does Not Deter Murder, According to
New Survey of America's Leading Criminologists
Eighty-eight percent of the country's top criminologists
do not believe the death penalty acts as a deterrent
to homicide, according to a new study. Click
here to read the rest of the article. Click
here to read the study.
California Can't Afford the Death Penalty Former Attorney General John Van de Kamp tells Gov:
Convert Death Sentences and Save $1 Billion in an op-ed
in the Los Angeles Times. Read
it here.
Legislation Improves Services for Survivors of Violent
Crime Senator Leno talks about SB 733, a bill which would
create up to three Trauma Recovery Centers across California
to provide more immediate, comprehensive and cost-effective
services to Californians who have survived a life-altering
violent event. Read about it on the California Progress
Report: http://www.californiaprogressreport.com/2009/05/legislation_imp.html
May 7, 2009
Colorado Senate Votes Against Repealing the Death
Penalty
The Colorado Senate rejected a proposal to abolish the
death penalty by a single vote Wednesday, hours after
backers revived the measure for a final vote on the
last day of the legislative session: http://www.thedenverchannel.com/politics/19381845/detail.html
Colorado Senate Committee Advances Bill to Abolish
the Death Penalty A bill to abolish the death penalty in Colorado
advanced Wednesday when the state Senate's State, Veterans
and Military Affairs Committee approved it on a 3-2
vote: http://www.gazette.com/articles/death-52682-penalty-bill.html
Azim Khamisa Featured in Huffington Post
Blog Retired Seattle Police Chief Norm Stamper talks
about violence and victim opposition to the death penalty.
Read "A
Month of Killing, More on the Way" from The
Huffington Post.
Listen to Judy Kerr and Stefanie Faucher on Pirate
Cat Radio! Click
here to listen to the interview, which aired on
March 7, 2009. The interview starts about 26 minutes
into the clip.
March 19, 2009
New Mexico Becomes the 15th State to Eliminate the
Death Penalty; Other States Consider Taking Similar
Action to Ease Budget Concerns
On March 18, 2009, New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson
signed H.B. 285, which is a bi-partisan bill that replaces
the death penalty with permanent imprisonment. New Mexico
is the fifteenth state to abandon capital punishment
and the second state to do so legislatively in the last
two years. New Jersey's legislature passed a similar
bill in December 2007. At least ten other states have
considered similar measures this year citing the significant
savings that could result from ending the death penalty:
Montana, Nebraska, Maryland, Colorado, New Hampshire,
and Kansas are among them. Earlier this year, Maryland
Governor Martin O'Malley called on his state's legislature
to end the death penalty citing both financial and ethical
concerns.
New Website Added to the Resources Page: "Justice
for Brandon"
Brandon Lee Evans moved to San Francisco in early November
2008. On November 29, 2008, Brandon was shot in Golden
Gate Park and died on his way to the hospital. Brandon's
mother and two brothers are still waiting for the person
or persons responsible to be found. Please visit http://www.justiceforbrandon.com/
to learn more about how you can help.
March 3, 2009
Holder Intervenes in Federal Death Penalty Trial
in San Francisco
New Attorney General Eric Holder has authorized a
deal that could abruptly end a rare San Francisco death
penalty trial only days after it began. Read
the article.
February 20, 2009
Colorado Victim Family Members Want More Cases Solved
Victims' daughter supports Colorado bill, scheduled
Monday for a hearing by the House Judiciary Committee,
that would abolish Colorado's death penalty and use
the savings for cold-case investigations. Read "Cold
cases bear worst penalty" in the Denver
Post.
State Death Penalty Updates
- Montana -, the State Senate recently passed
a bill to end the death penalty by a vote of 27-23.
That bill now moves on to the House. To get involved
with the Montana Abolition Coalition, please visit:
http://www.mtabolitionco.org/act/updates.html
- New Mexico -the State House passed a bill
to end the death penalty by a vote of 40 to 28. That
bill now moves on the Senate. Governor Bill Richardson
has also recently been quoted as saying that he might
consider signing the bill if it passes the Senate. For
more info on what you can do to help, please visit:
http://www.nmrepeal.org/legislative_action
- Maryland - Governor O'Malley has announced
that he is sponsoring a bill to repeal the death penalty.
Maryland Residents: Please take
action to support this bill! Maryland's Senate Judicial
Proceedings Committee hears the bill, SB 279, today.
- Missouri - Senate Progress and Development
Committee hears a moratorium bill, SB 321, today. To
find out more about what you can do in Missouri, please
visit: http://www.moabolition.org/roadtrip.php
February 13, 2009
New Mexico House Votes to Abolish the Death Penalty
Impressed by Statements from Victim's Family,
Parole Board Recommends Clemency
Ohio Parole Board favors clemency for man who stabbed
his mom to death. Read the article here.
Stanley 'Tookie' Williams' Son Speaks in Seaside
Hundreds gather in Seaside to hear son of gang founder
'Tookie' speak. Learn more here.
Doctor Quits Prison Job Over Execution
Citing AMA and other professional ethics policies,
the Washington state physician says he was obligated
to refuse even indirect supervision of capital punishment
procedures. Read the article here.
Read
the article. Lorrain Taylor, CCV
supporter and director of 1000
Mothers to Prevent Violence, and Judy Kerr, CCV
Spokesperson, attended "An Evening of Healing"
presented by 1000 Mothers to Prevent Violence.
Letters to the Editor by Judy Kerr and Natasha Minsker
Published in the Fremont Argus
Two legislators from opposing parties and with opposite
views on the death penalty joined Tuesday to propose
cutting off funding for a new $395 million Death Row
at San Quentin, calling it a boondoggle that a financially
strapped state can't afford. Read
the article.
Maryland Commission on Capital Punishment Recommends
Abolition of the State's Death Penalty
Report Shows Dramatic Decline in Death Penalty Use
Executions, as well as imposition of death sentences,
are in historic decline, according to the Death Penalty
Information Center (DPIC) 2008
Year End Report.
December 10, 2008
Audit Shows That California Crime Victims are Getting
Less Money
Troy Davis' capital case goes to an Appeals Court on
December 9. We're gratified to air the voice of Martina
Correia, Troy Davis's sister and staunch supporter.
Go to http://www.raisingsandradio.org/
to hear the show.
Supreme Court Declines to Hear Challenge to Victim
Impact Videos in Death Penalty Trials
Click
here to read about the use of victim impact videos
in death penalty trials from The Washington Post.
Appeals Court Sidetracks California Effort to Resume
Executions
The San Francisco-based 1st District Court of Appeal
upheld a Marin County judge's order last year, which
found state officials should have held public hearings
on plans to overhaul California's execution method.
The appeals court ruling, if it stands, would force
the state to go back to the drawing board in its efforts
to bring the execution system into compliance with a
federal judge's concerns that the current method is
unconstitutional.
Triple-Slaying Suspect Could Face the Death Penalty
The fired high-tech engineer accused of murdering three
executives at a Santa Clara semiconductor company could
face the death penalty if convicted, prosecutors said
Wednesday. The decision to seek the death penalty won't
be made for months, but the victims' families wishes
will be considered. Read the article here.
Army Schedules First Execution Since 1961
Former North Carolina soldier Ronald A. Gray is to
be executed Dec. 10. Read the article here.
UN Calls for a Worldwide Moratorium on the Death
Penalty
The high court denies appeals of two L.A. murderers
on death row who maintain that videos of their victims'
lives unfairly play on jurors' emotions. Three justices
dissent. Read
the article in the LA Times.
November 6, 2008
California Voters Oppose Proposition 5, Proposition
6, and Approve Proposition 9
Parents say their daughter who was murdered opposed
the death penalty and so do they. Despite their beliefs,
the prosecutor will seek the death penalty. Read the
article here.
Mothers of Killer and Victim Hug
A man gets 30 years for a 2007 Norfolk murder. His
mom reaches out in court to the parent of the victim.
Read the article here.
Troy Davis Given a Stay!
On Friday, October 24, 2008, the federal appeals court
in Atlanta stayed the execution of Troy Anthony Davis,
who was scheduled to be put to death by lethal injection
Monday evening. The stay is based on a new appeal that
was filed Wednesday seeking permission to file a new
lawsuit based on innocence claims. Please read more
about this here.
October 21, 2008
Urgent Action Needed! Troy Davis scheduled for execution
on Monday, October 27th.
Troy
Davis is scheduled to be executed on October 27 at 7pm
EST for the murder of Police Officer Mark MacPhail in
Georgia. The Supreme Court declined to hear his appeal,
despite a credible claim of innocence. 7 out of 9 witnesses
have recanted, no murder weapon was found and no physical
evidence linked Davis to the crime. The Georgia Board
of Pardon and Paroles denied clemency to Davis -- we
must urge them to reconsider their decision.
What You Can Do:
1) Call Sonny Purdue, the Governor of Georgia: 404-656-1776
and ask him to challenge the decision of the Parole
Board.
2) Call Georgia's Board of Parole and Pardon: 404-651-6599
and ask them to reconsider their decision.
4) Join the Global Day of Action for Troy Davis: Thursday,
October 23rd - Meet at 5:00 pm at Powell and Market
Streets in downtown San Francisco, CA and help gather
petition signatures. To organize an event near you,
please visit: http://www.amnestyusa.org/uploads/file/TroyDavisSolidarityRalliesOct23.pdf
5) Speak out on the day of the scheduled execution:
Stand in solidarity with Troy Davis - Monday, October
27th 3:00 pm, Federal Building, 450 Golden Gate Ave,
San Francisco, CA. Find
an event near you!
October 10, 2008
Video from Prevention, Not Execution
To mark World Day Against the Death Penalty (October
10th) and Mental Illness Awareness Week, here is a short
video featuring Nick and Amanda Wilcox, Kim Crespi,
and Bill Babbitt. They were filmed at last week's launch
of a joint project between Murder Victims' Families
for Human Rights (MVFHR) and National Alliance on Mental
Illness (NAMI) to end the execution of prisoners with
a mental illness. The launch of the project took place
in San Antonio, Texas and brought together families
of murder victims with families of mentally ill individuals
who have been executed for violent crimes. Together,
they offered their testimonies and launched a new initiative
calling for a ban on the death penalty for people with
mental illnesses.
Here are some reflections by Amanda Wilcox
on her experience at the Prevention, Not Execution meeting
in San Antonio last week:
Nick and I attended a "Prevention, Not Execution" event
in San Antonio, TX last week. This was a gathering,
sponsored by MVFHR and NAMI (National Alliance on Mental
Illness), in which the families of victims and the families
of the executed came together to speak out against the
death penalty for people with mental illness. Nick and
I shared our experience and Laura's story.
"Prevention, Not Execution" is an education and advocacy
project about mental illness and the death penalty.
Last Friday's event was the official launch of the project.
A book of victim stories will be compiled this year,
which will be used for awareness and education; ultimately,
policy goals will be established (legislation and eventually,
we hope, a US Supreme Court Decision banning executions
for the severely mentally ill).
Our gathering with other victims was moving and profound.
The need to reach out to the families of victims by
the families of the executed was very clear. The restorative
justice model would benefit many families of the executed
- one person said "I want to tell every victim how sorry
I am for their loss." Their grief - and anger at the
failed mental health care system - is profound.
I was moved and honored to be in the company of the
fellow participants. The deep trust and sharing was
profound.
In peace, Amanda
Statement that CCV Members Amanda and Nick Wilcox
of California delivered at the "Prevention, Not Execution"
event in San Antonio last Friday:
Amanda: On January 10, 2001, our only daughter,
Laura, was murdered while home on winter break from
college. Laura was filling in as a receptionist at a
Behavioral Health clinic in our home state of California
when, without warning, a patient suffering from paranoid
schizophrenia opened fire with a semiautomatic handgun
and shot Laura four times at point blank range. Laura
was killed instantly. When the rampage at the clinic
and at a nearby restaurant ended, three people lay dead,
three were severely injured, a community was shaken,
and the world was diminished by the loss of an incredible
young woman.
Many call the death of a child the worst loss. As a
mother outliving her daughter, I no longer have the
future I envisioned. To me, Laura will always be a teenager,
full of plans for a busy, happy, and meaningful life.
Laura had extraordinary capabilities, kindness and
spirit. She was an outstanding student, graduating as
high school valedictorian, and was at the time of her
death a college sophomore and in the midst of her campaign
for the student body presidency. Laura was extremely
organized, disciplined, and motivated, and with her
positive energy, she was a natural leader. At age nineteen,
Laura was already living a full life of service; she
wanted to make a positive difference in the world; she
had unlimited possibilities and the brightest of prospects.
It made no sense that someone as good and innocent
as Laura could be murdered. After her death, life seemed
meaningless. I felt great despair. I felt I had seen
humanity at its worst. In the following months my husband
and I heard comments such as “fry the bastard” or “I
hope he gets what he deserves.” These statements did
nothing to restore our faith in the goodness in people.
Those who expressed hatred and revenge did not comfort
us. Those who thought execution would bring justice
did not realize that there is no justice. Justice would
be to have Laura alive again.
Nick: As it turned out in this case, the man
responsible for Laura’s murder was found not guilty
by reason of insanity and committed to a state mental
hospital. We believe the man who killed our daughter
must be held fully accountable. He cannot be trusted
to be free in society again. In order to protect society,
institutionalization of Laura’s murderer is both necessary
and appropriate.
But to execute him for an act he committed while delusional
with a severe disease is, to us, simply wrong. Our prisons
are now filled with the mentally ill and in many instances
the only way a person can receive proper mental health
care is by committing a crime. The financial resources
now spent on implementing the death penalty would be
better spent if redirected to treatment of those with
serious mental illness, thereby preventing future acts
of violence.
We had no control over what happened to our daughter,
but we can choose how we respond. For us, part of that
response involves speaking out for violence prevention
and against the death penalty for people with mental
illness. As the father of a daughter murdered by a mentally
ill man, I am here today as witness to this project.
My wife and I are joining other families whose loved
ones have been killed. We are standing together to say
that prevention, not execution, is how we honor our
loved ones’ lives.
CCV Members Bill Babbitt and Nick and Amanda Wilcox
Attend MVFHR-NAMI Conference in San Antonio TX
Read what Bill Babbitt has to say:
In July of 1976, my wife Linda and I took a train ride
from Sacramento to New England to visit family on Cape
Cod and some living in nearby Providence, Rhode Island.
I was especially looking forward to seeing my brother
Manny. I had not seen him since 1968 when he visited
me in Sacramento after his first Marine tour of duty
in Vietnam where he survived shrapnel wounds to his
head, back, and hands.
Ten years or so after Manny laid down his weapons and
walked off the battlefield in Vietnam, he would relive
the horrors of the old war and engage in a new front
of conflict on the streets of Massachusetts, Rhode Island,
and ultimately in my adopted state of California in
1980.
Manny was discharged from the Marines in 1970. Four
years later, he had two failed marriages and was confined
to mental hospitals in two states where he was diagnosed
with two serious mental illnesses.
The Rhode Island Institute of Mental Health's doctor
warned that without further treatment Manny's prognosis
was "guarded." Rhode Island should have noticed those
war demons staging new conflicts.
Rhode Island let him go home even though they knew
he was dangerous and allowed his departure for Massachusetts.
The infamous Bridgewater State Hospital for the Criminally
Insane in Massachusetts was a prison hospital that gained
national notoriety in 1967 when the documentary "Titicutt
Follies" was released. The documentary chronicled shocking
abuses of patients by hospital workers. Bridgewater
documented Manny's suicide attempts and reaffirmed the
diagnoses of PTSD and Paranoid Schizophrenia by the
IMH in Cranston, R.I.
On admission to Bridgewater, Manny told doctors that
he felt "flies inside his mouth moving."
In 1974, a Bridgewater doctor wrote, "Patient is mentally
ill and incompetent to continue serving a sentence in
a penal facility…Failure to confine him in strict security
would create a likelihood of serious harm to himself
and others. " My brother was released with no follow-ups
despite the protest of his doctors.
Massachusetts repeated the mistake Rhode Island made:
they let Manny out and let him go to California with
the war demons not far behind.
Manny arrived in Sacramento in October of 1980. The
Manny we got back from the war and the East Coast mental
hospitals was not the same Manny we knew. I regret not
knowing the signs of PTSD as I watched Manny struggling
to maintain relationships and to make sense of things.
He often complained of hearing voices. He was uptight
and jumpy. And then one night, he got away from me,
and an old lady died.
When I turned my brother in to the police, they promised
me that Manny would live and get the help he needed.
Twenty years later, they gave me the best standing view
of his death. Promises made and promises broken.
My brother's blood lingers on my hands. Some family
members have disowned me and have walked away from me.
Several years ago, I went to Providence to attend my
older brother Frankie's funeral and while in the viewing
parlor, several long lost cousins walked away from me.
Manny's last words to me were: "Brother Billy, take
the high road and forgive those who want me dead. Forgive
Leah's family, tell me you will, brother"
On Friday, October 3, I will be in San Antonio, TX
to attend the "Prevention Not Punishment" meeting of
family members who have had family members who were
killed by someone with mental illness and family members
whose mentally ill loved ones who were killed by the
state.
This will be a very special project for NAMI and MVFHR
who will reach out to families like the Babbitt's and
Wilcox's and bring us all together as one big collective
heart that will send a powerful message of knowledge
and truth to the skeptic heart
Human Rights Watch Releases New Report: “Mixed Results:
U.S. Policy and International Standards on the Rights
and Interests of Victims of Crime”
The report analyzes how well the U.S. is meeting international
best practices regarding treatment of crime victims.
Read the report here: http://hrw.org/reports/2008/us0908/.
September 24, 2008
CCV Spokesperson/Liaison Judy Kerr Featured in This
Week's East Bay Express
Albany nurse Judy Kerr responds to her brother's still-unsolved
2003 murder with anti-death-penalty activism. As a liaison
for California Crime Victims for Alternatives
to the Death Penalty, she does public appearances
with exonerated former death-row prisoners. "We're human
beings," Kerr tells Apprehension. "We're gonna make
mistakes. Can we perfect our system enough so that no
one who's innocent ever gets executed? We cannot." Those
vowing to avenge blood with blood are "confusing justice
with the grieving process. Putting someone to death
because your loved one was murdered has nothing to do
with grieving." When, after the June 22 slayings of
her husband and sons in San Francisco, Danielle Bologna
said she wanted the death penalty for their killer,
"she hadn't slept in two days," thus couldn't be rational,
Kerr says. "But now that headline has been framed as
her position, forever." Kerr's group wants citizens
to write their politicians anti-death-penalty letters
on September 25, this year's National Day of Remembrance
for Homicide Victims. Her brother Robert, a hotel clerk
and avid hiker with many East Bay friends, was beaten
and strangled in Everett, Washington: "It's categorized
as a cold case — that horrible terminology," says Kerr,
who won't watch the TV drama of the same name.
MVFHR-NAMI Launch National Project
Media Advisory
September 23, 2008
National Project Launch
Murder Victims’ Families Oppose Death Penalty for People
with Severe Mental Illnesses
Washington, D.C.— Murder Victims’ Families for Human
Rights (MVFHR) and the National Alliance on Mental Illness
(NAMI) will launch a national project opposing the death
penalty for persons with severe mental illnesses at
a press conference in San Antonio, Texas on October
3.
The initiative builds on recent U.S. Supreme Court
decisions that raise questions about the capacity of
individuals diagnosed with severe mental illnesses sentenced
to death to understand why they are being executed or
even that they will die. A national report on the issue
will be released in June 2009, based in part on testimony
from family members at San Antonio event.
WHAT: National project launch—press conference
WHEN: Friday, October 3, 2008 3:00 P.M. – 5:00 P.M.
WHERE: University of the Incarnate Word Bonilla Science
Hall 129 Hildebrande—just west of Broadway intersection
San Antonio, TX 78209
WHO: Murder Victims’ Families for Human Rights (MVFHR)
National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)
• Renny Cushing, MVFHR Executive Director • Ron Honberg,
NAMI Policy & Legal Director • Bill Babbitt, brother
of a Vietnam veteran, who was diagnosed with PTSD and
schizophrenia, killed a 78-year old woman, and was executed.
• Lois Robison, a mother whose mentally ill son was
discharged from a hospital when his insurance ran out.
A county hospital could not admit him unless he became
violent. He killed five people. Instead of treatment,
he got the death penalty. • Kim Crespi, mother of victims
murdered by husband who suffers from mental illness
• Amanda & Nick Wilcox, parents of victim who was murdered
by a person with mental illness • Other family members
of murder victims or executed persons from around the
United States
MVFHR is a national organization of family members
of murder victims and families of the executed. NAMI
is the nation’s largest grassroots organization dedicated
to helping individuals and families affected by mental
illnesses.
CONTACTS: Susannah Sheffer for MVFHR: 617-512-2010
(cell) or sheffer@aceweb.com Christine Armstrong for
NAMI: 703-312-7893 or christinea@nami.org www.mvfhr.org
www.nami.org
# # #
September 23, 2008
Supreme Court Issues Stay of Execution for Troy
Davis
The U.S. Supreme Court Tuesday issued a stay of execution
for Troy Anthony Davis less than two hours before he
was to be put to death by lethal injection.
130th Exoneration: Charges Dropped Against Texan
Michael Blair
Texan DNA Exoneration of Death Row Inmate Michael Blair
Brings Innocence Total to 130. Read the article in the
Dallas Morning News here.
Abolition in Illinois?
Victims' family members are among those testifying
at an Illinois hearing on a bill that would abolish
the state's death penalty. Jennifer Bishop-Jenkins,
who has taken a lead in organizing testimony for the
hearing, writes, "This is a significant occasion because
it is the first time in a decade that the Illinois legislature
has taken up the question of abolition in an official
hearing. Every major newspaper in the state is now supporting
abolition, and there is bi-partisan support for abolition
legislation." Jeanne Bishop adds that the hearings "come
at time when cash-strapped Illinois, facing a budget
crisis, is considering whether its staggeringly expensive
death penalty is worth the cost."
September 17, 2008
New Study Finds Another Arbitrary Element in Who
Gets Executed in America: the Inmate's Level of Education
Read this
article in The Birmingham News to learn how education
affects who is executed.
New Book: Execution's Doorstep: True Stories of
the Innocent and Near Damned by Leslie Lytle
Execution’s Doorstep tells the true stories
of five lives trapped in a living nightmare: sentenced
to die for a crime they didn’t commit. Since capital
punishment was reinstated in the mid 1970’s, over 120
individuals have been proven wholly innocent of the
crimes for which they were sentenced to death. But this
statistic, as horrifying as it is, does not begin to
tell the whole story.
To learn more about the book, click here
or purchase it on Amazon here.
MVFHR Board Member to Speak Alongside His Son's
Killer
They will be speaking at a Banquet organized by Justice
& Mercy, a group that "promotes safer communities
through criminal justice reform." Read the article
in the Lancaster Online newspaper.
September 12, 2008
CCV Members Going to San Antonio for Event on Capital
Punishment and Mental Illness
MVFHR and NAMI are working on a project on Capital
Punishment and Mental Illness. Read Dr. Maria Felix-Ortiz's
column,
which appeared in the 9/10/08 issue of the San Antonio
Express-News.
September 10, 2008
Slain Professor's Nephew and Priest Forgive Killer
St. Mary's College Professor's killer gets life in
prison without the possibilty of parole. Click
here to read the San Francisco Chronicle article.
Meeting With Daughter's Killer Brings Mom Closer
to Closure
Killer of Metrolink Train Passengers Gets 11 Life
Sentences Prosecutors sought the death penalty
for Juan Manuel Alvarez who was convicted for causing
the train's derailment, which killed 11 passengers
and injured 180. Read the article here.
Many of the victims' survivors came forward to speak
through tears about their lost relatives and the way
the crash had changed their lives. Lien Wiley, whose
husband was killed in the crash, opposed the death
penalty for Alvarez and was forced to testify during
the penalty phase of the trial. You can read the entire
article here: Metrolink
victim's widow opposes death penalty for Juan Manuel
Alvarez
Maryland Commission on Capital Punishment Hears
Testimony from Victim's Family Member
"Maryland
and the death penalty: Two county residents will
help decide the fate of capital punishment in the
state" - features MVFHR Board Chair VIcki Schieber.
»August 8, 2008
Victim's Family Leave Killer's "Ultimate
Fate" With God - Detroit - Twenty-two years
later, killer sentenced to life imprisonment - victim's
family calls the life in prison sentence "the
least of [the killer's] worries." Read article
here.
Cost of New Death Row Featured on the Front Page
of the San Francisco Chronicle - Read the article
here: Death
Row Cost Overrun: $40 Million
Bill Babbitt Testifies in Front of Maryland's Commission
on Capital Punishment - CCV Member Bill Babbitt,
who also serves on the board of directors of Murder
Victims Families for Human Rights, testified at Maryland's
Commission on Captial Punishment first meeting on Monday,
July 28, 2008. You can read about it here:
Victims' Families in Colorado Work to Repeal Death
Penalty and Redirect Funding to Solve Cold Cases -
Victim's family member Howard Morton and his group
Families of Homicide Victims and Missing Persons (FOHVAMP)
have been working to repeal Colorado's death penalty
and use those funds to solve the state's many unsolved
homicides. Click
here to read the story in today's Colorado Springs
Gazette: "Victims' families meet to hear proposal;
group wants to redirect death penalty funding"
»July 16, 2008
Dawn Spears Featured on KBAY - Sunday, July
13, 2008, Sam Van Zandt from KBAY's morning show in
San Jose aired an interview with CCV Member Dawn Spears.
You can listen to it here.
»July 8, 2008
Bill Babbitt Featured in the Sacramento Bee- July 6, 2008, Claire Cooper featured Bill Babbitt
in her "Special to the Bee" entitled "Death
penalty and race: Scales of justice may weigh heavily
against blacks." Read it here.
»July 1, 2008
CCV Members Feautured in the Media- Following
the release of the Commissions report on the death
penalty, several CCV members were interviewed throughout
California.
Commission Report Highlights Many Problems with
California's Death Penalty and Encourages Californians
to Consider Alternatives- Sacramento
-The California
Commission on the Fair Administration of Justice
issued the state's first comprehensive report on California's
death penalty today. The 116
page report identifies many problems with the
state's death penalty, concluding that it is "dysfunctional"
and quoting the Chief Justice of the California Supreme
Court who said the system may "fall of its own weight"
if nothing is done.
During a series of hearings around the state, the
Commission heard from a growing segment of advocates
who oppose the death penalty: family members of murder
victims whose personal experiences with the system
have lead them to become ardent, outspoken advocates
for alternatives to the death penalty.
Fifteen survivors of murder victims opposed to the
death penalty testified at the Commission's three
public hearings in Sacramento, Los Angeles and Santa
Clara. These witnesses, who are active with the coalition
California Crime Victims for Alternatives to the Death
Penalty (CCV), are also available for comment this
week.
Many CCV family members told the Commission that
funds now spent on the death penalty would be better
used helping victims, solving unsolved murders, and
preventing violence. Others emphasized the negative
impact of the death penalty appeals process on survivors
of murder victims.
Witnesses included:
* Nick and Amanda Wilcox (Grass Valley), who testified
on the anniversary of their daughter Amanda's murder.
Amanda was working at a mental health clinic when
she was killed by a patient. The Wilcoxes have become
leading advocates for expanding treatment for the
mentally ill to prevent violence.
* Barbara Zerbe Macnab (San Francisco), who testified
that, despite her mother's pleas for clemency, two
men were executed for the murder of her father when
she was just eight years old, causing even more anguish
to their family.
* Aba Gayle, who testified that, despite her requests,
the Placer County District Attorney continues to pursue
lengthy appeals seeking to reinstate the death sentence
for the man who killed her daughter Catherine. At
the time of the trial, Aba Gayle supported the death
penalty. Ten years later, she realized that holding
on to the anger and anticipating the execution would
not help her heal.
* Vera Ramirez-Crutcher (Ventura), who testified
about the anguish she experienced when her son David
was murdered trying to protect his girlfriend, but
who has always opposed the death penalty on religious
grounds.
* Dawn Spears (San Jose), who became the primary
caretaker of her three grandchildren when her daughter
Tameca was murdered, testified that she is opposed
to the death penalty, as was her daughter.
"I am pleased that the Commission reported noted
the moving testimony of the people who have personal
experience with the system," said Judy Kerr, spokesperson
and victim liaison for California Crime Victims for
Alternatives to the Death Penalty (CCV). "Ours is
an important voice in this debate." Family members
of murder victims were instrumental in the persuading
the New Jersey legislature to end the state's death
penalty.
Aundré Herron, a former prosecutor who now represents
people on death row and whose brother, Danny, was
murdered remarked, "The death penalty does not help
us heal; rather than honoring my brother, executing
his killers would have forever tied his memory to
an act of revenge."
"Californians should consider how we can best help
the survivors of murder victims rebuild their lives
and prevent more murders?" asked Kerr. "I believe
the first step is to replace the death penalty with
permanent imprisonment."
California Crime Victims for Alternatives to the
Death Penalty and the Family Violence Law Center Hold
a Vigil for Silence the Violence Day
"On Wednesday, June 18, 2008, the Ella
Baker Center for Human Rights held Silence
the Violence Day. The Silence the Violence project
is a grassroots, anti-violence movement based in Oakland,
CA. On Silence the Violence Day, people all across the
Bay Area, around California and across the United States,
held simultaneous vigils to call for peace in their
own neighborhoods, advocate for the creation of effective
violence prevention programs, and to honor the lives
of those lost to violence. 25 events took place in the
Bay Area.
DPIC
Releases New Report on Costs of the Death Penalty and
Police Chiefs' Views
Troy
Davis is scheduled to be executed on October 27 at 7pm
EST for the murder of Police Officer Mark MacPhail in
Georgia. The Supreme Court declined to hear his appeal,
despite a credible claim of innocence. 7 out of 9 witnesses
have recanted, no murder weapon was found and no physical
evidence linked Davis to the crime. The Georgia Board
of Pardon and Paroles denied clemency to Davis -- we
must urge them to reconsider their decision. 
Sacramento
-The 
