sophandros
Free Thinker
who oppose the death penalty:
http://www.cnn.com/2003/LAW/03/04/death.penalty.ap/index.html
Pennsylvania committee recommends moratorium on death penalty
Racial factor in sentences needs study, report says
Tuesday, March 4, 2003 Posted: 12:46 PM EST (1746 GMT)
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PITTSBURGH, Pennsylvania (AP) -- The state should stop executing criminals until it can study the impact of race in death penalty sentences, a committee appointed by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court said in a report released Tuesday.
The Supreme Court's Committee on Racial and Gender Bias in the Justice System released a 550-page report that recommended Gov. Ed Rendell and the Legislature order a moratorium until courts can ensure the death penalty is administered fairly.
As of March 2002, 61 percent of the 245 people on Pennsylvania's death row were black, yet blacks comprised 10 percent of the state's population, according to the report. Only California, Florida and Texas have more people on death row than Pennsylvania does.
In its recommendations, the committee does not suggest prosecutors stop seeking the death penalty. It says only that executions should end for now.
The committee also recommended statewide standards for lawyers involved in death penalty cases, both at trials and in appeals. Lawyers would have to attend continuing education classes every year, the report said.
The Supreme Court committee was created in October 1999 to study whether race, ethnicity or gender plays a role in the Pennsylvania court system, and the report addresses many issues, including gender bias in jury selection; a lack of racial and ethnic diversity in jury pools; and the treatment of sexual assault victims by the courts.
There have been calls for moratoriums on the death penalty across the nation, but, until recently, there had been only two put in place. One implemented by former Illinois Gov. George Ryan remains in effect. Maryland's new governor, Robert Ehrlich, lifted one there when he took office in January.
Rendell, a former Philadelphia district attorney, supports the death penalty. He said before taking office that he would review death-penalty cases that are new or have new evidence, but has seen "no evidence" that the system is flawed.
A spokesman for Rendell, who was giving a speech to the Legislature on Tuesday morning concerning his first state budget, did not immediately return calls.
Since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976, Pennsylvania has executed three people. Leon Moser and Keith Zettlemoyer were executed in 1995. Philadelphia torture-killer Gary Heidnik was put to death in 1999.
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On the Net:
Death penalty background: http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/
Report text: http://www.courts.state.pa.us/Index/Supreme/biasreport.htm
http://www.cnn.com/2003/LAW/03/04/death.penalty.ap/index.html
Pennsylvania committee recommends moratorium on death penalty
Racial factor in sentences needs study, report says
Tuesday, March 4, 2003 Posted: 12:46 PM EST (1746 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Story Tools
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
RELATED
? Panel report
PITTSBURGH, Pennsylvania (AP) -- The state should stop executing criminals until it can study the impact of race in death penalty sentences, a committee appointed by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court said in a report released Tuesday.
The Supreme Court's Committee on Racial and Gender Bias in the Justice System released a 550-page report that recommended Gov. Ed Rendell and the Legislature order a moratorium until courts can ensure the death penalty is administered fairly.
As of March 2002, 61 percent of the 245 people on Pennsylvania's death row were black, yet blacks comprised 10 percent of the state's population, according to the report. Only California, Florida and Texas have more people on death row than Pennsylvania does.
In its recommendations, the committee does not suggest prosecutors stop seeking the death penalty. It says only that executions should end for now.
The committee also recommended statewide standards for lawyers involved in death penalty cases, both at trials and in appeals. Lawyers would have to attend continuing education classes every year, the report said.
The Supreme Court committee was created in October 1999 to study whether race, ethnicity or gender plays a role in the Pennsylvania court system, and the report addresses many issues, including gender bias in jury selection; a lack of racial and ethnic diversity in jury pools; and the treatment of sexual assault victims by the courts.
There have been calls for moratoriums on the death penalty across the nation, but, until recently, there had been only two put in place. One implemented by former Illinois Gov. George Ryan remains in effect. Maryland's new governor, Robert Ehrlich, lifted one there when he took office in January.
Rendell, a former Philadelphia district attorney, supports the death penalty. He said before taking office that he would review death-penalty cases that are new or have new evidence, but has seen "no evidence" that the system is flawed.
A spokesman for Rendell, who was giving a speech to the Legislature on Tuesday morning concerning his first state budget, did not immediately return calls.
Since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976, Pennsylvania has executed three people. Leon Moser and Keith Zettlemoyer were executed in 1995. Philadelphia torture-killer Gary Heidnik was put to death in 1999.
___
On the Net:
Death penalty background: http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/
Report text: http://www.courts.state.pa.us/Index/Supreme/biasreport.htm
