death penalty

DEATH PENALTY

“We cannot overcome crime by simply executing criminals, nor can we restore the lives of the innocent by ending the lives of those convicted of their murders. The death penalty offers the tragic illusion that we can defend life by taking life.”

U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, 1999

Through prayer and support, we reach out
in compassion to both victims and offenders.

The primary case against the death penalty is that a human life is taken.
All human beings deserve respect and dignity.
The death penalty is cruel and unusual punishment driven
by fear of crime, politics and vengeance.
The United States is the only western industrialized nation
to retain the death penalty.
You are at a significant disadvantage in the courts if you are poor. Court-appointed attorneys are usually under funded for investigators and experts.
Innocent people have been sent to death row. People with strong claims of innocence have been executed.
The criminal justice system is tainted with racism.
The death penalty does not deter crime. Murder rates are influenced mostly by economic conditions, the drug trade, and demographics.
Life in prison without parole is a viable alternative to the death penalty.

ACTION: link to sign petition for Moratorium on Death Penalty www.moratoriumcampaign.org

For a wide range of resources go to the Catholic Campaign to End the Use of the Death Penalty www.ccedp.org

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