Josh Medsker, the propietor of Twenty-Four Hours, has posted a terrific interview with David Kaczynski of New Yorkers for Alternatives to the Death Penalty. Here are two excerpts. You'll want to follow the link to read the entire interview, and see more of Twenty-Four Hours.
Why did the NTADP change from "against the death penalty" to "alternatives to the death penalty"? What philosophical change went on?
When New York’s death penalty was ended by the Court of Appeals in 2007, NYADP had a choice: either continue in a watchdog role to prevent reinstatement of the death penalty, or use our groups’ relationships and ethical capital to work toward a reduction in violence and healing for victims of violence. We argued that the death penalty was ineffective in reducing crime, and that it tended to aggravate rather than alleviate the grief of murder victims’ family members. As NYer’s Against the DP, we had formed many collaborative relationships with members of law enforcement, victims families, mental health advocates, social justice advocates, and clergy. What if we expanded our mission to promote common-ground goals? We had this crazy idea that if we brought all these folks together, we could create a critical mass of influential, committed people dedicated addressing the problem of violence in a serious way. We figured our only obstacles would be apathy and ingrained thinking. It actually did feel like a relief to finally be For something instead of Against something. In this case, we think the best alternative to the death penalty is for violence not to occur in the first place.
And:
Going back to the Journeys question... What historically has caused Texas to have such a strong affinity (so to speak) for the death penalty? Do you think that if your group helped change peoples' minds in Texas that it would reverberate out towards the weaker states?
Well, I lived in Texas for eight years in the 1980’s and [my wife] Linda and I still have vacation property and plans to retire in West Texas. Yeah, there are cultural differences, but I think people are pretty much the same everywhere. No one wants a system that executes the innocent and Texas has a bad record in that regard. The rate of death sentencing has gone down about 50% in Texas in recent years. Prosecutors are now less eager to seek it and juries are far less willing to impose it. Religion may play a part in Texas, since Southern Baptists, I believe, have a statement that favors the death penalty, unlike most religious groups that have statements opposing it. I think the Journey of Hope has been extremely effective in Texas, because it invites people to think more deeply about what their faith means. Unfortunately, I suspect that the more the death penalty gets used, the harder it is to get rid of since there is a general reluctance to question the status quo. There’s a certain hard-headedness in some people that desires the death penalty no matter how counter-productive it is shown to be. I’ve met a few hard-headed Texans. But, as we know, Texas has no monopoly on that breed.
Again, thanks to Josh.
Learn more about the NYADP vison, After the Death Penalty: More Justice, Less Violence.
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