Agenda - 10-19-1999 - Information

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A Moratorium Has Growing Bipartisan Support So far, moratorium resolutions have been supported by more than 550 city councils, universities, civic groups, congregations, and other organizations, including: City of Durham, N.C. Town of Chapel Hill, N.C.* Town of Carrboro, N.C.* 20+ N.C. Congregations N.C. Council of Churches Nebraska State Legislature American Bar Association City of New Haven, Ct. Illinois House of Representatives U.N. Commission for Human Rights City of Mt. Rainier, Md. *unanimous vote Recognizing the injustices inherent in the administration of the death penalty, pro-capital punishment elected officials from N.C. local governments as well as Chicago Mayor Richard Daley and Republican state legislators through out the country provide bipartisan support for moratoria on executions. A moratorium bill has been introduced into the N.C. General Assembly and is being debated in several other states. Innocent People Are Sentenced to Death and Exeeuted / Since 1970, 80 people have been freed from death row because they were proven to be innocent by college student and others working outside the justice system. / In North Carolina, at least three people have been released from death row since1970 because they are innocent. / So far this century at least 23 people have been executed who were later proven to be innr'n'n~~.'°.~' ---- / For every seven people executed since 1976, one has been released because of innocency ~~ ~ -'~~ t,i Death Sentences Are Given to the Poor, Not the Rich ~~ jl; ~ ~~~ ~ ~ E999 n N .about ercen c t of d thei ~~ ~i / I .C , 98 p t of those facing capital charges anno for r own attorr~ey`~~_,~„_ / No state-including North Carolina-has met standards developed by the American Bar°A~ssoci~atonfor¢a~ppont-._1 meet, performance and compensation of counsel for indigent prisoners. The Death PenaltX Is Applied in a Racist Manner ~ ' / The U.S. General Accounting Office reports "a pattern of evidence indicating racial disparities in charging, senten~ ing and imposition of the death penalty." (1990) / The U.S. Supreme Court has acknowledged the validity of data demonstrating the continued reality of racial bias i~ death sentences. (McCleskey v. Kemp) / In North Carolina, a person charged with killing a white person is 4.4 times more likely to receive the death penalt / Seventy-six percent of people executed by the State of North Carolina have been African American and 60 percent N.C.'s death row is minority. (N.C. Department of Corrections) / Nationwide, 82 percent of those put to death had been convicted of murdering a white person, even though people color are the victims in more than half of all homicides. Other Reasons to Support a Moratorium / More innocent people will be imprisoned and executed because prisoner appeals have been severely curtailed, eves cases where prisoners present compelling evidence of innocence. / In 1996, new legislation drastically limited federal court review of death penalty appeals and gutted public funding legal aid services for death row prisoners. / The U.S. and N.C. violate international laws by executing juveniles and the mentally retarded. / A majority of countries support the UN Commission for Human Rights in calling for a moratorium. For copies of a moratorium resolution, sources for statistics, or more informattbn contact the People of Faith Againsf the Death Penaltyr at (919) 933-7567. 957 9/2 E. Franklin St, Chapel Hill, NC 27514, www.pfadp.org, email: sjd@pfadp.org