[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
Nov. 23 BAHAMAS: Bishop Hanchell Backs Use Of Death Penalty Despite calls by Archbishop of the Catholic Archdiocese Patrick Pinder for regional legislators to abolish the death penalty, another religious leader has come forward with demands for the enforcement of capital punishment. In a detailed statement to the press on Monday, Citizens for Justice (CFJ) Chairman and local bishop, Walter Hanchell said he disagrees with the archbishop's position on the issue, calling it "biblically and morally" contrary to scripture. Bishop Hanchell, of Great Commission Ministries, said his church remains a firm supporter of "restorative justice" for all those convicted of crimes other than murder. For those convicted of murder, Bishop Hanchell said they ought to "suffer the penalty of death for their crimes as prescribed by law". Archbishop Pinder, last week, in a joint pastoral statement from the Bishops of the Antilles Episcopal Conference (AEC) in commemoration of the Catholic Church's Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy, urged governments and citizens in the region to abolish capital punishment. 19 bishops signed the statement. The statement said to take away a person's "basic right to immunity from fatal harm" is to "compromise his/her sacred dignity". "However, responding to these claims on Monday, Bishop Hanchell suggested that capital punishment was not an act conceived in the mind of any human being, but was an act instituted by God according to scripture to "punish and remove" murderers from society. "It was never meant to be a deterrent even though studies show that it most certainly is," wrote Bishop Hanchell. "Cries that capital punishment is inhumane and barbaric in the 21st century are irrational when we consider that God has not changed and his word, which is His will for mankind, certainly has not changed and never will. "The Holy Bible in both the Old Testament and the New Testament commands that persons guilty of committing the crime of murder be punished by death. God is both a God of love and a God of justice. "All moral laws, including capital punishment, have their root in the Bible. A close study of scripture will reveal that the death penalty was always mandatory except in cases of accidental or intentional death. The word of God is clear concerning punishment for murder and no bishop, government, parliament, judiciary or agency such as Amnesty International, has the power or authority to overrule the laws of God," he added. Bishop Hanchell said rather than advocate for the removal of a law, perhaps religious and political leaders should look at the plight of the thousands of children who are left fatherless and the families who mourn the loss of their loved ones because of senseless killings. "If you believe that human life is a sacred gift from God, then why is the life of a wicked murderer more precious than that of his innocent victim? Nobody has the right to take a life except the state in capital offences." Analysing the issue from a political perspective, Bishop Hanchell noted that despite the valiant efforts of the police force, the government and legislators have intentionally refused to enforce the laws of the Bahamas to the detriment of all who live here. "The ruling Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) government led by Prime Minister Perry Christie did not carry out a single execution during their first term in office from 2002 to 2007. While serving as the Leader of the Opposition in 2011, Mr Christie declared his party's support for capital punishment. Despite record murder statistics in the current term, not a single person has been executed for the hundreds of brutal murders that have been committed in the Bahamas over the past 15 plus years." The last time capital punishment was carried out was in 2000. Bishop Hanchell said politicians who were elected to enforce the law have failed "miserably in this endeavour." He added: "In March 2006, the Privy Council ruled that the mandatory death sentence was unconstitutional. Members of Citizens For Justice believe that this ruling was flawed since the Constitution of The Bahamas clearly makes capital punishment legal. "Capital punishment has long been abolished in the United Kingdom and most of Europe and we are of the view that members of the Privy Council have attempted to bring an end to the practice in The Bahamas." In June 2011, the Privy Council overturned Maxo Tido's death sentence in connection with the killing of 16-year-old Donnell Connover, whose body was found off Cowpen Road, battered and bruised and her skull crushed. There was additional evidence that parts of her body were burned after her death. But the Privy Council concluded that the murder was not an example of the "worst of the worst." In November 2011, Parliament passed legislation to define the types of murder constituting the "worst of the worst" guidelines set out
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----TEXAS, N.J., FLA., ALA., LA., CALIF., WASH.
Nov. 23 TEXASimpending execution Attorney Wants Execution Halted For Dad Who Killed Daughters A man set for execution next month is appealing a judge's ruling last week that he's mentally competent to be executed for fatally shooting his 2 young daughters more than 15 years ago in Dallas while their mother listened helplessly over the phone. John David Battaglia has asked the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, the state's highest criminal court, to halt his scheduled Dec. 7 lethal injection in Huntsville. State District Judge Robert Burns last week ruled Battaglia was faking delusions that could make him ineligible for the death penalty under U.S. Supreme Court rulings. Battaglia's attorney, Michael Mowla, says in his appeal that Burns' ruling was "unsupported and incorrect." He wants the execution stopped so the state appeals court or a federal court can review the competency ruling. (source: Associated Press) Legislation Promises Stiffer Punishment For Targeting Police Officers New legislation filed at the state capitol aims to provide stiffer punishment for those caught targeting police and first responders. Following the shooting of San Antonio Police Det. Benjamin Marconi, the city's police Chief William McManus said that it was obvious, the uniform, not the officer was the target. It's that idea that has spurred the creation of new legislation ahead of the January session that would enhance crimes against a police officer. Charlie Wilkinson is the executive director for the Combined Law Enforcement Associations of Texas also known as CLEAT. Wilkinson says CLEAT is in support of the bill because it creates a new class of hate crimes when police officers and first responders are the intended target. "This was Detective Marconi doing his job and filling in in a place where he was needed and he was targeted simply because he was a police officer," Wilkinson says. The bill's author, Dallas Republican State Rep. Jason Villalba says it wouldn't only apply when an officer is targeted and shot. "Let's say you are driving a car and you see a cop and you take your truck and you plow into their car, and the police officer isn't harmed. Obviously that isn't a case that is going to be a capital crime that results in the death penalty. It's going to be a crime that results in a 2nd degree felony. If we have a 2nd degree felony under our statute it moves up to the next highest class," Villalba explains. The bill will be introduced in the legislative session that begins in January. (source" tpr.org) ** Texas Death Case Tests Standards For Defining Intellectual Disability The U.S. Supreme Court hears a case that questions intellectual disabilities and the death penalty - specifically, what standards states may use in determining whether a defendant convicted of murder is mentally deficient. In 2002, the justices barred the execution of the intellectually disabled. But it left the states considerable room to decide who is "mentally retarded." Two years ago, the court put its thumb more firmly on the scale, telling states they were not free to use a rigid IQ number to determine "retardation," but instead "must be informed by the medical community's diagnostic framework." Now the state of Texas is defending its use of standards that major medical organizations do not endorse. Instead, the state's test is based on what the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals called "a consensus of Texas citizens," that not all those who meet the "social services definition" of "retardation" should be exempt from the death penalty. The man at the center of the case is Bobby J. Moore, whose gun discharged during a botched robbery, killing a 70-year-old store clerk in Houston in 1980. There is no doubt about his guilt or about the fact that he has limited mental abilities. Even the prosecution's psychologist testified at trial that Moore likely "suffers from borderline intellectual functioning." Moore's lawyers argue that Texas is using outdated standards to determine "retardation," instead of the current medical standards required by the U.S. Supreme Court. The state of Texas argues that there is no national standard, and that the state should not be limited to current medical diagnostic tools or standards. Moore's lawyers note that, at age 13, he didn't understand the days of the week, the months of the year, how to tell time, or the principle that subtraction is the reverse of addition. He failed first grade twice, but school officials continued to advance him in order to keep him with children of a similar age. In addition to his other difficulties, his father beat him repeatedly over his failures in school. And when Moore was 14, his father threw him out of the house to live on the streets. Moore's IQ tests range from a low of 57 to a high of 78 with an average of just over 70 -
