Capital Punishment

Justice or Sin?

Background Facts and Trends

38 States in US have death penalty 1099 executions since 1976 (Texas leads with 405, Virginia next with 98 New York has death penalty: no executions since 1976 Number of executions have steadily declined since 1999 11 women executed since 1976 (1.4% of death row inmates are women)

Facts and Trends cont

Most

studies conclude death penalty does not deter murder rates South region accounts for 80% of executions but has the highest murder rate Northeast has fewest executions and lowest murder rate

Financial Facts: Cost to Taxpayers

CA: $114 million per/year beyond cost of keeping inmate locked CA: $250 million for each execution Kansas: capital cases cost 70% more than non-capital cases FL: average cost per execution: $24 million each TX: cost 2.3 million per inmate Majority of Police Chiefs in country believe death penalty is not effective law enforcement tool

Juveniles and Mentally Retarded and the Death Penalty

Supreme

Courts Roper vs Simmons (2005) struck down the death penalty for minors Supreme Court decision in Atkins vs Virginia (2002) declared it unconstitutional to execute mentally retarded

Race and the Death Penalty

While blacks make up about 10% of general population, make up 42% of inmates on death row 98% of chief district attorneys in death penalty cases are white White defendants executed for killing blacks: 22 Black defendants executed for killing whites: 223 Those who kill whites 3 times more likely to be executed

Catholic Church and the Death Penalty

How

does the Ethic of Life relate to the death penalty?

Background Information
Church

long acknowledged right of state to use death penalty to protect society However, Church has clearly and steadily moved away from this Ethic of Life : Respect for each human life (Image of God) and for God (Creator) calls us to choose life

Official Teachings
JPII: The Gospel of Life: dignity of life must never be taken away, even in case of someone who does great evil USCCB: A Culture of Life and the Penalty of Death:

sentence of death, when not necessary to protect society, violates respect for human life: State executions diminish us all

Catechism of Catholic Church:

the pain and loss of one death cannot be wiped away by the death of another

Trinity, Incarnation, and the Death Penalty

Again,

what do these core and highest Christian doctrines tell us about the morality of the death penalty?

US Bishops ask People of Faith to

Pray

Learn

For victims and their families, those wrongly convicted, and those awaiting execution
About Catholic Social Teaching, US criminal justice policies Those in parish or community about Catholic social teachings Contact elected officials and discuss CST and see what can be done

Educate

Advocate