Nov. 24
USA:
The American Psychological Association's journal,
Psychology, Public Policy, & Law, devotes its December 2004
issue to the death penalty. These articles may be downloaded
(for a fee) at
http://www.psycinfo.com/psycarticles/
index.cfm?fuseaction=toc&jrn=law&vol=10&iss=4
1. Death is Different: An Editorial Introduction to the
Theme Issue. by Craig Haney & Richard L. Wiener,
2004 Dec Vol 10(4) 373-378
2. Stuck in the Dark Ages: Supreme Court Decision Making
and Legal Developments, by James. R. Ogloff &
Sonia R. Chopra, 2004 Dec Vol 10(4) 379-416
3. Searching for Uniformity in Adjudications of the Accused's
Competence to Assist and Consult in Capital Cases.
by John T. Philipsborn, 2004 Dec Vol 10(4) 417-442
4. Exploring the Effects of Attitudes Toward the Death Penalty
on Capital Sentencing Verdicts, by Kevin M. O'Neil,
Marc W. Patry & Steven D. Penrod, 2004 Dec Vol 10(4) 443-470
5. Dangerousness, Risk Assessment & Capital Sentencing.
by Aletha M. Claussen-Schulz, Marc W. Pearce &
Robert F. Schopp, 2004 Dec Vol 10(4) 471-491
6. The Prejudicial Nature of Victim Impact Statements:
Implications for Capital Sentencing Policy, by Bryan Myers &
Edith Greene, 2004 Dec Vol 10(4) 492-515
7. Guided Jury Discretion in Capital Murder Cases: The Role
of Declarative and Procedural Knowledge, by Richard L.
Wiener, Melanie Rogers, Ryan Winter, Linda Hurt,
Amy Hackney, Karen Kadela, Hope Seib, Shannon Rauch,
Laura Warren, & Ben Morasco, 2004 Dec Vol 10(4) 516-576
8. Capital Punishment, the Moratorium Movement, and
Empirical Questions: Looking Beyond Innocence, Race, and
Bad Lawyering in Death Penalty Cases, by Charles S. Lanier
& James R. Acker, 2004 Dec Vol 10(4) 577-617
9. The Death Penalty in the United States: A Crisis of
Conscience, by Richard L. Wiener & Craig Haney,
2004 Dec Vol 10(4) 618-621
NEW YORK:
Flawed Death Penalty
To the Editor:
Re ''Effort to Reinstate Death Penalty Is Stalled in Albany" (front page,
Nov. 18): You report as though the New York Legislature ought to repair a
"flawed death penalty law." It isn't the law but the death penalty itself
that is flawed. It's irreversible.
An alarmingly high number of accused are later shown by DNA and other
evidence to have been innocent. Killing prisoners wrongly convicted is the
last thing a humane society can countenance.
The death penalty has been applied unfairly -- against minorities and the
poor who cannot afford good legal counsel.
There are prosecutors who portray themselves as tough on crime by going
for the death penalty as a first rather than last resort.
Anyone who professes qualms about the death penalty is routinely excluded
from juries, leaving judgment to a jury predisposed to perpetuate a cycle
of violence.
The death penalty usurps what rightly belongs to God. When the state
undertakes its premeditated killing in the name of its citizens, it defies
God and defiles life itself.
(Rev.) John E. Hiemstra---New York, Nov. 19, 2004
The writer is convener of the Commission of Religious Leaders of New York
City.
(source: Letter to the Editor, New York Times)
