Former Director of Amnesty International Speaks Out Against the Death Penalty
By Meaghan Carey
Long-time human rights activist Rick Halperin presented “The Death Penalty in the USA: Current Trends and Realities” before an audience on Thursday evening at LaRose Theater in the Koury Business Center.
Halperin, who has twice served as the director of Amnesty International and is the current director of the Southern Methodist University Human Rights Education program, recounted the history of violence and execution in America, expressed his desire for the abolition of capital punishment, and called for justice among those who are prosecuted for serious crimes.
Not only did Halperin generally discuss the death penalty as an aberration of the U.S. justice system, he also said that “the real issue, the large issue way beyond the death penalty, is the disease of killing.”
Halperin described violence in the United States as being very much a part of American culture. He said more than 40,000 people a year are killed by guns, and 1,175 people have been executed via capital punishment in the country’s history. Thirty-four states have the death penalty, and 28 of those have actually have put people to death. California has the most people on death row (but only 13 have been killed), while Texas has killed the most (441).
In the 1870’s executions “stopped being public spectacles,” according to Halperin. With the 20th century came greater technology, so electricity was used for executions. Also, accused criminals gained greater opportunities for justice as a result of U.S. Supreme Court decisions in Miranda vs. Arizona and Gideon vs. Wainwright, which established the right of the accused to remain silent and to consult with an attorney, respectfully.
On July 2, 1976, the US re-legalized the death penalty, and since then lethal injections have become more popular. Gas tablets, which were used in the Nazi concentration camp at Auschwitz, have been used in Arizona and Mississippi.
Halperin made it clear that he does not wish to see those who have been found guilty and in prison to be set free. Rather, he said he believes that “society has a right to be protected from violent offenders.”
He revealed many problems with the system of execution. Mentally retarded people are spared the death penalty, but some people with severe emotional disorders are not treated the same way. Individuals as young as 16 have been sentenced to death, as well.
According to Halperin, the most powerful form of injustice in the system is evidenced by numerous cases of “incredible inequity.” To date, 134 prisoners on death row have been taken off because they have been proven innocent prior to their execution.
Halperin said that people are shocked to learn that Vietnam and Desert Storm veterans have been put on death row, explaining that, “we have veterans that have served and comeback to our country and America wants to kill them.”
Even though the United States has not abolished the death penalty, Halperin acknowledged that the United States has made significant improvements and taken progressive measures regarding the institution.
Still, he said he hopes to see the United States move away from capital punishment because “the death penalty is not a human rights issue, it’s the issue,” he said. People still have “inherent rights,” Halperin’s said, and so they should be afforded “equal justice under law.”
