Home > Work > Dead Man Walking: The Eyewitness Account of the Death Penalty That Sparked a National Debate
21 " The mandate to practice social justice is unsettling because taking on the struggles of the poor invariably means challenging the wealthy and those who serve their interests. "
― Helen Prejean , Dead Man Walking: The Eyewitness Account of the Death Penalty That Sparked a National Debate
22 " I had also learned that the death penalty in the United States has always been most rigorously applied in Southern states - mostly toward those who kill whites. "
23 " She pointed out that to claim to be apolitical or neutral in the face of such injustices would be, in actuality, to uphold the status quo - a very political position to take and on the side of the oppressors. "
24 " Before, I had asked God to right the wrongs and comfort the suffering. Now I know - really know - that God entrusts those tasks to us. "
25 " New York City, in a state with no death penalty, reduced its crime rate dramatically in the first four months of 1992 — murders declined by 11 percent — which many attribute to increased community policing. "
26 " He contends this is not an isolated case and explains that prosecutors, judges, and juries, most of whom are white, are far more outraged when white people are murdered than when black people are. "
27 " That's why you're never going to find a rich person on death row. "
28 " if I were to be murdered I would not want my murderer executed. I would not want my death avenged. Especially by government — which can’t be trusted to control its own bureaucrats or collect taxes equitably or fill a pothole, much less decide which of its citizens to kill. "
29 " The sun has set behind the trees. Afternoon has now turned to evening. The sparrows are silent, nested up under the eaves for the night. It is time for Pat's final meal. "
30 " Amnesty's investigation into the judicial processes of the hundred or so governments that impose the death sentence (the United States and Turkey are the only NATO countries that continue to execute) has revealed that without exception, the penalty of death is disproportionately meted out to "the poor, the powerless, the marginalized or those whom repressive governments deem it expedient to eliminate. No government gets it right. "
31 " They want to see him made accountable for his actions. They want to see him pay for what he did. So do I. In an ideal world, there would be no need for retribution. But in real societies, punishing the guilty is as integral to the function of law as exoneration the innocent and preventing crime. "
32 " Will you dare, I ask, to condemn the unfairness inherent in the judicial system which metes out one brand of justice for the rich and one for the poor? "
33 " In the last twenty years at least forty-six people have been released from death row because the errors in their convictions were found in time to save their lives. Some are not so lucky. "
34 " Camus "
35 " Isaiah’s words: Do not be afraid … I have called you by your name, you are mine. Should you pass through the sea, I will be with you … Should you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched, and the flames will not burn you. (43:2) As "
36 " the numerous other crimes for which the Bible prescribes death as punishment: contempt of parents (Exodus 21:15, 17; Leviticus 24:11);trespass upon sacred ground (Exodus 19:12–13; Numbers 1:51; 18:7);sorcery (Exodus 22:18; Leviticus 20:27);bestiality (Exodus 22:19; Leviticus 20: 15–16);sacrifice to foreign gods (Exodus 22:20; Deuteronomy 13:1–9);profaning the sabbath (Exodus 31:14);adultery (Leviticus 20:10; Deuteronomy 22: 22–24);incest (Leviticus 20:11–13);homosexuality (Leviticus 20:13);and prostitution (Leviticus 21:19; Deuteronomy 22: 13–21). "