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Date sent: Wed, 19 May 1999 18:29:53 -0700
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
From: Sid Shniad <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: Race Drives Use of Death Penalty in U.S. Judicial System,
Amnesty International Report Finds
MAY 17, 1999 5:00 PM
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Amnesty International
Christine Haenn, 202-544-0200, ext. 225;
Gwen Fitzgerald, 202-544-0200, ext 289
Race Drives Use of Death Penalty in U.S. Judicial
System, Amnesty International Report Finds
WASHINGTON - May 17 - Application of the death penalty in the
United States is racially biased -- and in some jurisdictions is
reserved solely for non-white defendants -- a new Amnesty
International report concludes. The report cites instances of bias
against minority defendants at every step of the judicial process, and
describes a U.S. justice system infected with racial prejudice.
"Today, whether those charged with crimes in the U.S. live or die
appears to be largely determined by the color of their own skin and
the race of the victim," said Dr. William F. Schulz, executive director
of Amnesty International USA (AIUSA), adding that "state authorities
are unwilling to act because of the popularity of the death penalty."
Killing with Prejudice: Race and the Death Penalty in the USA,
released internationally in Ghana today to coincide with the Fifth
African-African American Summit in Accra, notes that while racial
discrimination is more subtle than in the past, it continues to play an
equally deadly role in the U.S. legal system.
Statistical evidence overwhelmingly shows that the judicial system
values white life over black: defendants are far more likely to be
executed for the murder of a white victim. Of the 500 prisoners
executed between 1977 and 1998, more than 81 percent were
convicted of the murder of a white, even though blacks and whites
are the victims of homicide in almost equal numbers nationwide. The
odds of a death sentence in cases in which blacks killed whites has
been shown to be as much as 11 times higher than in the murder of
a black victim by a white person.
"Research confirms the experience of hundreds of condemned men
and women -- once convicted of capital murder, being an African
American becomes an aggravating factor and almost guarantees the
death sentence," said Sam Jordan, director, Program to Abolish the
Death Penalty, at AIUSA.
Amnesty International has brought the racist use of the death penalty
to the attention of U.S. authorities over many years, but findings
have been ignored or denied. The organization continues to
challenge U.S. authorities to ensure that the equal rights guaranteed
by the U.S. Constitution become a reality for all its citizens.
"Visibly racist symbols like the 1950s 'Whites Only' signs would today
seem abhorrent to most people in the U.S., yet they silently witness a
less visible form of racism: the ever-increasing number of executions
of African Americans," Dr. Schulz said.
The report cites numerous ways in which racial prejudice can infect a
capital trial: prosecutors seek the death penalty more often, or in
some cases solely, against blacks; jurors openly use racist terms
while deliberating whether a defendant should live or die; prospective
jurors are denied the opportunity to sit in judgement of their peers
because of their color; judges make racist statements.
Recent research into the attitudes of jurors in capital cases sheds a
disturbing light on a process that is far less impartial than the
requirements of justice demand. It shows that ethnic bias does not
always stop at the door of the jury room. Comments made under
anonymity by some jurors included: "He (the defendant) was a big
man who looked like a criminal....He was big and black and kind of
ugly. So I guess, when I saw him I thought this fits the part".
"This refusal of the U.S. authorities to admit and address the fact that
the death penalty is being applied on the basis of race, ethnicity and
social status is a key indication of the extent of the problem," Schulz
stressed.
While the report primarily addresses prejudice against the African
American community in the U.S., it also makes clear that
discrimination in the criminal justice system also applies to Latinos,
Native Americans, Asian Americans, Arab Americans and others.
Amnesty International leaders again called for the abolition of the
death penalty. "What we want to highlight today is that racial
discrimination pervades the U.S. death penalty at every stage of the
process," Dr. Schulz said. "Any political leadership that ignores this
reality cannot institute meaningful reforms."
"We abhor the deadly relationship between race and executions, and
we are convinced that simply maintaining the death penalty
encourages discrimination on the basis of race," said Jordan.
"Therefore, the best course for the nation is the complete abolition of
the death penalty. Humane and just alternatives are available."
[PEN-L:7088] (Fwd) Race Drives Use of Death Penalty in U.S. Judicial System
ts99u-1.cc.umanitoba.ca [130.179.154.224] Thu, 20 May 1999 19:11:44 -0500
