Shadow Figures: A Portrait of Life on Texas Death Row
Following the approval of a Texas law that speeds up the appeals process for condemned inmates, the state carried out 24 executions in the first half of 1997, breaking its own record of 20 in the entire year of 1935. When this article originally appeared on the MoJo Wire that year, Robert Wallace West was the next man slated for lethal injection. He was executed the day this article ran. What follows is an unprecedented look into life on the Row.
I first saw the blocks of cells called Death Row in Texas in December 1993, just after my partner, Ken Light, and I received permission to photograph and interview the men living there.
I wanted to produce a straightforward, unsentimental view of a place that has been shrouded in mystery, to offer the human face of these men, the pre-dead. We were interested not in individual cases but in creating a portrait of life on the Row.
We chose Texas not only because of the access granted, but because of its stature among death rows nationally. There is unabashed public support for the death penalty in Texas. Of the 3,000 individuals, mostly men, waiting to be executed in this country, typically 400 or so of them live on Death Row in Texas. The gallery of the condemned here has grown from a single row of cells holding 24 men at the old prison in downtown Huntsville in 1977 to six wings of cells (each wing has three levels or "tiers") at Ellis, the maximum security prison several miles outside of town.
Texas may be on the cutting edge of a national trend supporting capital punishment. Executions offer the allure of simplicity and completion, or "closure," as it is often described by its advocates. In execution there appears to be the hope of an answer to senseless murders, even if it is man-by-man justice. But if as a democratic society we want the state to carry out the ultimate punishment -- for whatever reasons, from deterrence to unapologetic vengeance -- then it is incumbent upon each of us to examine clearly and honestly what we have created.
The average length of time between conviction and execution in Texas is now more than nine years; it's not uncommon for an inmate to live on the Row for a decade or more. (This will change eventually, since recently passed state and federal laws governing post-conviction habeas corpus appeals are designed to reduce the time from final conviction to execution.)
From the town square in Huntsville, signs direct you to several "units" in the surrounding area (in corrections jargon, prisons are units that are managed by the system.) This small Baptist town in east Texas is the administrative heart of the largest and most prosperous prison system in the free world -- it's a company town where the company happens to be the prison bureaucracy. Some days you can still see prisoners in their white suits cleaning and tending to public properties around town. Ex-cons marry prison guards, guards meet and fall in love with one another, and some families have generations of sons and daughters working in the system.
The maximum security prisons known as the Ellis and Estelle units are more than 20 miles northeast of town, down long stretches of two-lane farm-to-market roads. Estelle is the first stop for newly condemned prisoners. The men under death sentence then go to Ellis for processing. Most of them will never leave Ellis again until their scheduled execution, when they take the van ride downtown to the death chamber at "the Walls," the system's oldest prison.
The majority live out their time in individual cells, 5 feet by 9 feet, equipped with a 6-foot bunk, a steel sink, and a toilet. There's no air conditioning. There is no exercise equipment on the Row. The men clean their own cells. They are issued clean pants and a shirt every three days, and underwear, socks, and a towel every day. Showers, a 10-minute daily ritual, are taken alone.
Those who choose to can work a regular four-hour shift at the garment factory or at a handful of other jobs; some are barbers or Death Row porters, who help serve food to men in lockdown. They are moved to the H wings, where most of them live in double cells, 10 feet by 9 feet, with another man. When a prisoner's execution date arrives, however, he has to leave the work program and move to a higher security Administrative Segregation wing until five days after his stay of execution, if he has received such a stay.
Many men talked about their initial fears in facing Death Row. Once they were convicted and sentenced to die, most believed they would be executed right away. Almost no one anticipates the months or years of waiting, or how living on the Row will change them.
Prisoners spend their time watching TV, reading, writing, listening to the radio, sleeping, and constantly talking. The noise is nonstop -- running conversations, gossip, storytelling, jokes and jive, yells at one another or at shows playing on the TV sets. Guys who aren't restricted "piddle," or make crafts that they sell to pay for stamps, extra food from the commissary, and other items.
The garment factory is the crown jewel of Texas's Death Row. It started as an experiment in 1981 and remains the only prison program in the nation where the entire work force is under a death sentence. Work Capable prisoners are given certain measures of autonomy. The work program is a useful management tool, offering incentives for good behavior that don't otherwise exist for the condemned. The program is controversial among the prisoners, however, and many see it as divisive. Through the years, the privileges given to those who work have helped to create a kind of class system on the Row.
Members of the public who even think about these men generally remember them as they were portrayed when they were caught, or at trial. The death sentence in essence pronounces these men incapable of change, irredeemable, and unfit to live. Once convicted, they become shadow figures, their images frozen in a media frame. But no one is truly suspended in time.
Many of the condemned change dramatically while they are there, some for the better, some for the worse. Other than family and friends of these men, the one group intensely aware of how they change on the Row is family members of their victims. This is another way in which the survivors' lives become unintentionally yet inextricably bound with the condemned, as the survivors track the months and years "their" inmates spend on the Row.
A number of the condemned learn more about themselves while waiting to die than they did in all the years they were free. As one prisoner said, "All we have to talk about is our past," and many spend countless hours trying to make sense of what brought them to Death Row.
Because the conviction and appeals processes appear to be random and arbitrary, and because the men on the Row typically don't have solid information about their cases, explanations infused with superstition about the order of executions have evolved.
Many men believe the Death Row number assigned each prisoner indicates execution order -- the lower the number, the more likely you are to get killed. A variation on this is that when someone with a number near yours gets a date, you soon will, too. The truth is that, since men with low numbers have been there the longest, some anecdotal evidence supports this theory. But judges don't set execution dates by prison numbers. There are also stories of guards having parties before or during executions, and of body parts being sold by the system to medical researchers after executions.
The stories and beliefs are inadvertently supported by the ritualistic way in which the system carries out executions. Every step leading to the final injection is followed, even when the authorities know a court stay is about to be issued -- or has been issued -- to halt the execution.
Thirty-six hours before the appointed time, the man is moved with a few personal effects, like toiletries and writing paper, to the Death Watch cell for observation. He's told to write his will.
The "execution summary" is filled out by the warden at Ellis and then passed along to the warden at the Walls prison, where the death chamber is located.
The prisoner is asked what he wants for a final meal, what color outfit he wishes to wear, and who should be on a final visiting list. An inventory of his property is taken, and he is asked to whom it, as well as any money in his prison account, should be distributed. He is also asked if he wishes to donate his body to the prison medical facility in Galveston or if next of kin will claim the body. The poorest, and the men without family, are buried in the Joe Byrd cemetery, their graves marked only by a simple white cross inscribed with their prison number.
Twenty-four hours before the scheduled execution, the condemned man is taken in shackles to the Walls in a prison van by secret route. Before 1976, execution in Texas was by electric chair, and, until 1995, the killings took place after midnight.
Every movement the prisoner makes in his final hours is observed and logged in excruciating detail by officers, first every 30 minutes, then in 15-minute intervals. At this time the prisoner is entitled to longer visits, and is allowed to call family members and speak to his lawyer. Many men take a shower, brush their teeth, and put on clean clothes before they're taken to the gurney.
Death Row offers society the illusion of finality in the service of justice. It is the "end of the line," yet the ripple effects of each execution reach out and move through us silently, like sound waves. A man takes a life, and we demand that, under specific circumstances, his life be sacrificed in return. When all the legal and political arguments are pushed aside, it seems so basic -- a clean trade. We crave simplicity in executing justice. But there is nothing simple about what we have created in the ritual of executing men.
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Well narrated. I am not here to judge the legality of death penality. But "eye for an eye" theory which the Government seems hell bent on implementing does not justify.Once convicted and then put on hold for 23 hours a day in a solitary cell for years is a punishment itself. Executing a person is just probably freeing him from bondage. A convicted guy has no freedom for years and there have been few cases where Court has found few of them "not guilty." Can we, as Human race, give back the lost time that the inmate has spent in a death row?
I am an Indian. I am against death penalty. In India we still have death penalty but rare. But I am against.Killing a person is crime -off course.The convicted person needs to be punished. But if society decides a "closure" by executing, then WE are criminals too.
Many convicts probably have killed his/her victim becuase of " sheer madness on that particular moment." But he MAY not a serial killer or Jack the Ripper kind and poses no threat to socity. But when the State decides to execute they do it in "cold blooded" method- a ritual-very methodical, very in-humane.
I thought Hinduism and Christanity are a tolerant group. We are civilised lot but only moving back. You are right- its delirium of hatred which has gripped us, society & mankind.We HAVE created a ritual of executing men.
You are on dot when you say-Death Row offers society the illusion of finality in the service of justice.....illusion. Execution was and never is a detterent. It will never be. If it were, crimes would have almost dissappeared by now. Its the gap between rich and poor; between the haves and have nots, between previlged and not so preveliged lot, poor educational system ( resulting in growth of relgious fanatics).....this decides number of crime & criminals. I am not a communist nor am I of capatilistic frame of mind.I am human.Live and let live!
[deleted]ing america. bad system. dead system.
The death penalty is wrong yes one person chose to do something wrong at a bad time in their life but it doesnnt give any one else the right to put someone to death only god should be able to make that decision it is just not right for a nother person to decide that because they are also killing someones father,brother,son,ect. in that case the cycle shouldnt finish and they should also be put to death.its just another way of people to dignify the evil inside them. when you put someone to death nomatter the surcomstances you are also as guilty as them
If only we had the Death Penalty in England. Im all for it. If you take a life you should pay with your own.
This is a groundbreaking article, a wonderful portrayal of a life without life. The Author is an exquisit writer who manipulates the feelings of the reader with mastery creating simple emoutions which are rarley felt in normal life. Yet i feel that the eye for and eye theory is just but horribly imployed by our system a reasonable stay is 3-9 months because as Partha said spending a total of 83950 hours in your cell in 10 years is a punishment all on its own. The ritualistic fashion of which is done is a near insult to injury. It seems irrational that once a man who has killed another man and is incarcerated and no longer a threat to society should be killed its almost a Dumas, revenge plot. Now a man once incarcerated and no longer a threat to society, he is therefore no longer a threat to society and society as a whole loses interest, but the family of the lost wants a sort of retribution ( an original human feeling) yet that does nothing to avenge the death or right any wrongs all it does is provide retribution. Now as a modern society do we want to perpetuate that kind of mentality, an example would be if you were driving and someone cuts in front of you and you had the oppertunity to do it to them would you? Now, as a family member of a lost one obvioustly the perpitrator should be punish severly but should you afflict on another inoccent bystander the pain and suffering you have felt, or do you have the emoutional maturity almost a Jesus like generosity and forgiving nature to not forgive but to be merciful. As Jesus on teh cross forgave his killers and prayed for them. This death avenging your loss will also cause others, other family members to feel your pain but of course this is human nature and some find security that others have gone through this, but in all fairness I would seek my retribution at all costs. I feel that we as a people as a nation and the human race as a whole should really look into ourselves and our human kindness to fully understand and make an informed decision on this concerversial punishment and then take action on our side.
I love the way Texas is handling the whole process. I hope that some day the appeals processes will be faster. The only thing that I would like to see happen is that if you shot someone, that is how you should die. Or if we most use a drug to so it then why not use mivacron (mivacurium chloride) it is a lot cheaper then the $86.06, that we spend now. And if they would like to eat and where clothes they should have to make it. Stop making the tax payers have to pay for it, 10 years of food, clothes, water and paying for the other stuff (TV, cable, books, A/C (not at this building) etc.) is for the birds. My kids have to earn what they get. It is not handed to them. When they do stupid stuff they loose what they have worked hard to earn.
I would like to let the folks that took the time to write this know that I did learn a few things about the death row. I just think that we should be a little tougher on condemed and other that brake the law
Up until I read 'Willie Shannons' letter and this article I was more in favour of the death penalty than against it, now i am not so sure, ok someone takes anothers life, maybe we should be asking why so many people are commiting murder or other awful crimes that 'give' the criminal the punishment of 'death row', how can a race of people decide who should live or die, sometimes these 'criminals' are just in the wrong place at the wrong time, or reacting to undue pressure, and quite often they were never there in the first place or not in their normal frame of mind, or it's a case of either mistaken identity and/or a 'system' that doesn't care, how many of these people on death row are from poor black families?? when the vast majority of those in the judiciary are typically white middle americans, so how can we ALL as a collective on this earth, decide that for whatever reason that alleged criminal should be treated as less than a human, without the basic needs for life, be subjected to wardens 'watching' almost their every move, who made the warden god all of a sudden? now I am not religous by any stretch of the imagination, but does that not stink of abuse to anyone else reading this??? 'the system' have locked up these people for abusing their time on gods earth, and hold on a minute do we not abuse them by locking them up in way too small cells, without adequate exercise, sometimes infringing their basic human rights of movement and such and do those who lock these people up get put away on death row for that, NO, so who decided that we can play god with peoples lives?? If this is supposed to be a deterrent to people to make them think twice about commiting murder or other henous crimes, why are there so many people waiting on death row, and why are there as many people incarcerated in prisons and jails around the world, it doesnt seem much of a deterrent to me. I am so glad we do not have the 'death penalty' here in England anymore, there were enough people 'we' hanged and some of them were proven innocent, but unfortunately it was way too late for some of them, some crimes can never be proven beyond reasonable doubt, and if someone is to be condemned to death that needs to be totally proven, but does that not make those who 'kill' these alleged criminals a murderer, where is the justice in that, abolish the death penalty.
The People on D.R. may have done wrong,but if we kill them are we right?Our lord and only him, has the right to take our life!
I used to be ambivalent about the death penalty. I never really knew anyone who was murdered or who was a murderer. Not personally...
This is no longer true. I have family members who have been victims of attempted murder, several times, by two serial stalkers, rapists, and murderers. I, too, am one of their victims. I pray that these two reprobates are executed every single second of my life. In addition, I hope that their families are executed for raising them. This is unrealistic, but it is my wish list. You see...there are far too many innocent victims in the world. And no one speaks for them. The death penalty is the greatest spokesperson for criminally insane scum. I don't give a crap about the criminals' tough childhoods, psychological damages, real or imagined hurts, etc. They have got to leave this planet so that innocent people can exhale. Life is too short to be miserable and terrorized every second of every day. If only the appeals process for death row inmates was non-existent. Often, the inmates live better than homeless people. They have a place to live, sleep, eat, bathe, read, watch TV, etc. This is wrong on so many levels. I used to subscribe to Mother Jones magazine and I still enjoy it when I can. However, issues about the death penalty are personal and relative. Peoples' viewpoints change, based on their life experiences. Good luck everyone.
ever seen someone killed ?
executing someone for murder is fair and just
Does anyone ever give a thought to the crimes these monsters committed??
Everything on this about deathrow is outdated from 1993. Why not go back to deathrow in tx and update your information. Iam sick of reading what you and ken saw in 1993. Locked down for 23 hours a day, no contact visits w/family even before execution. Even their mother's can't touch them till they are dead, just ask chitown's mother and daughter. TX has killed innocent men that has been proven. They have only poor men on deathrow and some only 18 when they were convicted. Most are black & hispanic & poor white trash. This poor human being's have no money or anybody to help them even if they are innocent. Please update your page.
Good article. I have researched death row, executions etc for many years. Devoured many many books, researched internet till I can't find any new articles. Before I started my research I was 100% in favour of the death penalty. Now - I am not so sure. I think it should depend on the crime(s) committed, circumstances etc. Although I think if someone killed a member of my family, would I want the death penalty for the murderer?? I only hope I never have to answer that question.
This is VERY outdated information. Anyone who reads this will think that this is the way it is on deathrow now. There are NO T.V.s., not jobs, etc. I think it would be fantastic if you and Ken could go back and show the country just how bad its gotten in Texas. Things have really changed for the worst.
I was born and raised in Huntsville, TX.. My father has worked for TDCJ For 25 years and is now a Warden for the prison system. I grew up on the Estelle Unit... "Ellis II" As It Was Called When I Lived There. I could smell what the men were having for breakfast, they mowed our yard, maintnanced any issues in our housing and of course always did my fathers laundry and hair cutting. It's a different lifestyle, even for those that are living on the outside of those cement walls. I grew up in a family consumed by the prison system. Both of my uncles, my only other family, were also involved in the Prison system. One was an Internal Investigator for TDC and the other a Luitennant at Estelle. The death penalty is a touchy subject. For one, how can we teach a nation that killing is wrong, by killing in return? Eye for an Eye maybe... but, ethical? Who's to know. I have had very conflicting feelings on the issue for as long as i can remember. I recall being a young child, enquiring about the death penalty and why some men had to face it, while others, whom have committed the same crime are damned to LIFE in prison. However, as i've grown older and come to understand that life is far more precious than i ever though as a child i have realized some things. visit www.tdcj.com and click on the tab that says "offender information" you can then view Death Row Information, including a summary of the crimes these men and women have committed. If a man was to ever rape, brutalized, maim, dismember and murder my mother.. i would want his life taken. I would beg for the death penalty. When put into perspective, a personal linkage, opinions seem to change. People that are living on death row have obviously committed an atroscious crime that has landed them there. It's unfortunate, but it's reality.
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This man has lived all his life involved with the prison system from one side. Consequently, his opinion is biased making him unable to articulate a balanced argument. I have already logged on to the website detailing their crimes - Texas is very good at pointed the finger at criminals what they are not good at is publicising how these men are rehabilitated under torturous circumstances. If somebody can find humanity when they are treated like a cage animal then I pose the rhetorical question, "Are they a born criminal?" I ask you this question because they are treated as born criminals: your justice system does not allow death row prisoners any chance to prove their rehabilitation.
Extremely Well written. It gave a fantastic insight into everyday experience to live on Death Row. Death is not the answer. I believe that whilst, there is most certainly death row inmates with personality disorders, there is also the high majority who are poor and have been let down by society because other than crime and drugs, they really don't have anything going for them. America needs to give them the Life Sentence not the death sentence. Inmates can at least spend the rest of their life learning about their mistakes and changing, even if they are trapped behind bars. There is no point in preaching about not killing your fellow man, when the texas justice system does just that by the lethal injection. It obviously hasn't worked because new inmates are still coming to death row...perhaps texas needs to focus on their social problems instead of killing inmates?
Killing another human being is inherently wrong, no matter what the circumstances. I don’t feel comfortable granting any government the authority to kill one of it’s own citizens, for any reason. In Washington State, one of the worlds worse murderers, the green river killer, is locked up n solitary confinement, spending most of his time in a miniature cell, with occasional exercise time spent in a dog cage.
Why should we grant him an early release through a fully anesthetized execution? A brief, painless procedure for all the great pain that he has caused. Are we so sure of his punishment in the afterlife? He’ll have the remaining decades of his existence to think abut it, sitting alone in his dog cage. Better to leave him there and let God decide his release date.
this is a touchy subject! The ritual of executing men/women seems very harsh but justice does have a price.
One hour of solitary recreation each day. No work, no tv, only a radio. Non sexual magazines can be mailed in as well as newspapers. The rest of the time is in your solitary cell with a solid steel door. So there's no card playing by reaching "through the bars" etc.,. I say this is "wonderful." :)
I BELIEVE THAT THE DEATH PENALTY IS GREAT! FOR THOSE WORTHLESS PEOPLE IN OUR SOCIETY THAT THINKS IT'S OKAY FOR ANY REASON TO KILL ANOTHER. I DON'T CARE HOW MUCH THEY MAY OR MAY NOT CHANGE ON DEATH ROW, I JUST WISH THEY'D GET TO THEM A LITTLE FASTER RATHER THAN WASTE OUR MONEY ON KEEPING THEM THERE. FOR THOSE THAT ARE AGAINST IT, I'M ASSUMING YOU'VE NEVER HAD SOMEONE EITHER IN YOUR FAMILY OR A CLOSE FRIEND THAT HAS BEEN MURDERED IN COLD BLOOD! I HAVE I KNOW WHAT IT DOES AND IT WOULD MAKE YOU FEEL SO MUCH BETTER TO KNOW THAT THE PERSON WHO DID IT IS NO LONGER CAPABLE OF EVER HARMING SOMEONE AGAIN.
to firegirlrenny: I will pray for you.
Hey,jus wanna say about the death penalty.These people who side up for these terrible murders don,t seem to see the other side.If they too were victims of crime,U bet they would want some form of punishment for his or her crimes to pay dearly for their crimes.We as citizens of this planet,well the law-abidin ones anyway need the law to protect society from people who commit horrible crimes.As much as I too hate to hear of someone gettin the death penalty,"BUT" again these(murderers,criminals etc )cross that line that is put there for people to abide by don,t heed this warning.Well U can bet what my answer will be horsedance
Interesting how some people moan and groan about executing someone convicted of killing another human and in most cases horribly. But yet these same people demand(!!!) the murder of an innocent child within 8 months. Over forty million child murders since 1976 ... but the media only counts the one thousand executions of killers.
are u kidding me? who do you think came up with the death penalty? if you go back and read the laws God set down in the old testement of the bible the penalty for breaking almost any law was death. disrespect your parents and they could take you outside the city and stone you to death. harsh but God came up with this because some people need to pay the ultimate price for the horrible things they have done. i believe in eye for an eye justice! And YES im PROUD TO BE A TEXAN!!!
oh and furthermore i think that we should execute them in the most fitting way according to their crimes. lethal injection is too easy of a death for some of these monsters!!!
This Article Really Helped With A Paper I'm Writing!
Thanks So Much For This! I Hope To Read More Of Your Work In The Future!
the article is so boring it made me go to sleep so if you read the article your a hopless whore or a hopless man whore!!!!!!!!!!
The death penalty is barbaric. How can america go on about human rights when they torture+abuse American prisoners by the time they execute these people they are reformed. The death penalty is murder+revenge.Civilised society looks to forgive and educate. Only the poor get the death penalty. The officials are psychopaths+sociopaths because they kill for votes.
Ive read the many cases where people were sentenced to death, then exonorated following evidence which-in many of the cases had been intentionally witheld..is THAT ok too then? I think the whole system is barbaric..it satisfies the needs of the vengeful and nothing else!!
Reading this article encourages one to share Christ to every one we can, be more vigilant to watch over our community,especially our neighbors' children as well as our own. I am allowed to spent time weekly with inmates of our local county jail. This is a chance to share hope in Jesus with some who have never heard of His love and to encourage others who know but let life get in the way of the better "way". Citizens should spend time witnessing and carefully voting for public officials who can make a difference in the drug crisis we have as a nation. I do believe in capital punishment because we are taught in Ecclesiastes 8:11 "because the sentence against an evil deed is not executed quickly, the hearts of the sons of men among them are given fully to do evil". It is not a blood thirsty thing we do but an effort to curb the evil deeds done to innocent people.
PLEASE PEOPLE WAKE UP SO MANY OF YOU THAT THINK THAT ARE CORRECT TO SAID EYE FOR AN EYE READ THE WHOLE BIBLE IF YOU CAN UNDERSTAND WHAT THOSE REALLY MEAN JESUS WHEN HE SAID THAT IS THE OLD TESTAMENT WE ARE THINK WE KNOW EVERYTHING ABOUT WHO SHOUL BE EXECUTED AND WHO STILL BE ALIVE ALL YOU HAVE TO DO LOOK HOW MANY PEOPLE HAVE DIED WITH OUR TAXES ON IRAK AND CHILDREN I AM A MISSIONARIE AND LIVE IN DIFFERENT PARTS OF LEBANON KNOW WHEN ONLY BECAUSE I AM A AMERICAN BUT THE GRACE OF GOD THEY HAVE NOT KILLED ME BUT THE AMERICANS VISIT SOME OF THE VILLAGES I HAVE BEEN TAKE THE AMERICANS OUT AND PORSECUTED EVERYONE ELSE BY THE ORDERS OF OUR LEADERS SO KNOW TELL ME IS THIS O.K. TO THE EYES OF OUR CREATOR NO IS HORRIBLE TO SEE CHILDREN MUTILETED BY US BUT THE MEDIA DOESN'T SHOW THIS PART OF AMERICA ONLY SHOW WHAT IS PRETTY BEFORE YOU JUDGE ASKED GOD IF IS O.K. TU JUDGE YOU BROTHER AND SISTER BECAUSE YOU MAY BE SURPRISE THEY MAY BE MORE TRUTHFULL THEN YOU EBVERY WELL,AND GUESS WHAT GOD WANTS HEARTS NO SPEECH SO FELLOW BROTHERS AND SISTERS THINK BEFORE YOU CELEBRETA TEXAS DEATH ROW,
ONE OF HIS,
LUKE
HELLO FELLOW BROTHERS AND SISTERS,
HOW CAN ANY ONE OUT THERE SAID TEXAS DEATH ROW IS GREAT YOU KNOW TEXAS HAVE 115 PRISONS AND THEY KILLED EVERY WEEK LIKE A FIESTA ONCE I REMEBER GROING UP IN TX UGLY STATE NOT ONLY BECAUSE IS HOT BUT BECUASE PEOPLE THEY DON'T HAVE A IDEA OF WHAT COMPASION IS THEY SAID KILL THEM DO YO BELIVE JESUS WANTS THEM KILLED BE VERY CAREFULL BECAUSE YOU SAID EYE FOR EYE AND WHEN YOU JUDGE GOD IS KEEPING SCORE OF WHAT YOU SAYING OR DOING TOO DON'T THINK BY YOUR GOOD ACTIONS YOU ARE GOING TO GO TO HAVEN GOD WANT YOUR HART IF THAT KILLER IN DEATH ROW HAS GIVEN HIS HEART TO GOD TRUTHFULLY BELIVE ME HE HAS A PALACE IN HEAVEN NOT MATTER WHAT ANY BODY SAIDS THAT I AM PACE FOR THE CLOSURE OF THIS KILLER WE HAVE TO BE CARFULL WITH ARE TOUGHTS AND ARE MOUTH FOR GOD DOE'S NOT MEASURE SIN ONLY MEN PRESECUTED AND KILL GOD LOVE IS INMENSE WHO DOUTS HIS POWER OR WANT TO TAKE REVENGE OF WHAT SOMEONE HAS DONDE TO YOU MY FELLOW BROTHER BE VERY CAREFULL BECAUSE YOU MAY BE IN DEEP TROUBLE NOT BY THE EXECUTION OF MAN BUT BY THE ONE YOU DON'T HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT HIS LOVE OR POWER WELL BE,READ YOUR BIBLE NOT JUST TAKE FEW PAGES READ YOUR BIBLE CAREFULL AND KNOW WHO HE IS,
ONE OF HIS,
LUKE
DEAR FELLOW BROTHERS,
I WANT TO REMAIND EVERYONE THAT GOD LOVES EVERYONE THAT IS WAY HE IS THE MASTER OF OUR UNIVERSE AND IF WE DON'T LIKE THE NEXT DOOR NEIGHBOR O WELL WHAT CAN WE DO YOU SEE GOD IS THE WOUNDERFULL CREATOR OF ALL OF US AND HE DOES NOT MADE DEATH ROW ONLY MEN DO THAT THE ONLY DIFFERENCE IS THAT IN DEATH ROW IS O.K.BECAUSE A MAN ON POWER SAID HE OR SHE HAS TO BE EXECUTED WE SAID EYE FOR AND EYE AND WHAT ABOUT IRAK OR THOSE COUNTRIES WERE WE HAVE KILLED MANY CHILDREN JUST BEACUSE THE OIL OR SHOULD I SAID WE ARE LOOKING FOR TERRORIST WHEN REALITY IS NOT BUT AMERICA DOES NOT SHOW WHAT WE DO BY OUR LEADERS IT'S VERY SAD WE PAID SOMUCH MONEY TO BUY GANS OR MUNITION TO KILLED INOCENT PEOPLE BUT THAT O.K. BECAUSE SOMEONE SAID WE NEED TO DO THIS AND WHAT WE HAVE ACCOMPLISH NOT MUCH I REMEBER GROWING UP IN THE STATE OF TEXAS WHEN MR.BUSH WAS THE GOBERNOR AND MISS.KARLA FAYE TUCKER WAS GOING TO BE EXECUTED THEY WERE TAKING CALLS FOR WHO WAS FOR THE EXECUTION AND WHO WAS NOT FOR THE EXECUTION,WHEN I CALL TO THE OFFICCE OF AUSTIN TEXAS THE LADY AT THE OTHER END SAID WHAT ARE YOU TAKING HTE TIME TO CALL FOR THIS HORRIBLE MURDER I SAID BECAUSE GOD'S WORD SAID LOVE ONE ANOTHER,I ASKED THE LADY DO YOU KNOW YOUR SAVIOR SHE SAID YOU MEAN GOING TO CHURCH EVERY OTHER SUNDAY,I SAID I RECOMENDED TO SPEAK TO KARLA FAYE TUCKER ABOUT JESUS BEFORE SHE IS EXECUTED I AM SURE SHE CAN TELL YOU WHAT I MEAN IS SOS SAD TO THINK WE KNOW AND THAT WE CAN HAVE PEACE BUY GOING TO SEE A CRIMINAL DIED HOW CAN YOU HEART HAVE PEACE ONLY OUR MASTER GIVE US PEACE AND HE IS THE ONE WELL JUDGE US NOT US TO KILLED,I BELIVE THAT THERE IS MANY MURDERS OUT THERE AND YES YOU PROBABLY THINK IS BECAUSE SHE NEVER EXPERIENCE WELL NO YOU ARE WRONG SOMEONE OUT THERE KILLED MY MOTHER 12 YEARS AGO AND I CAN TELL YOU MUCH MORE BUTH MY FAITH IS THAT MY DEAR GOD HE IS THE ONE HE WELL DO JUSTICE NOT ME BECAUSE I AM ONLY HERE FOR SHORT TIME AND I KNOE BY HIS GRACE THAT HE IS THE ONLY ONE THAT HE TAKES AND GIVES IF YOU DON'T KNOW THAT BE CAREFULL BECAUSE WE CAN BE SO LOST AND OUR OWN LITTLE WORLD OF YES HE DESERVES THIS AND THAT,BUT WHO SAY THE LAST WORD IS jESUS OUR SAVIOR,
READ YOUR ENTIRE BIBLE NOT ONLY TAKE PAGES WERE SAID EYE FOR AN EYE,
HE SAID WHO VISITS THE PRISON VISITS ME,
I CNA GO ON AND ON,BUT WAY,
I WELL PRAY FOR THOS WHO BELIVE THAT CAPITOL PUNISHMENT IS THE ANSWER TX,SATE HAS 115 PRISONS AND THE CRIME STILLS VERY HIG YOU TELL ME ARE THEY IMPROVING TO THE SOLUTION OR MAKING WORSE,WORK ON THOSE WHO NEED FOOD FOR THE SPIRIT AND ALSO YOUR,
ONE OF HIS,
L.J
Only the worst offenders are on Death Row. If there is ANY question as to guilt, the offender will usually just sit on death row for years and will not be executed. They deserve this too-to sit on death row and rot. These people knew the law when the crime was commited.
They knew the possible oconsequeences of their crime and did it anyway. I believe that the appeal process should be shortened to the point that convicts are executed within months of the sentence. This would be a real deterent. As it is now, these people get to live (even on death row) when the victoms did not. What about the victom and his or her family? Who is talking about what they deserve and the closier they deserve? Only the worst offenders recieve the death penatly and they deserve it. All you have to do is read the stories. They are definately getting what they deserve, each and every one of them. Especially the isolation, contempt, and deprevation they recieve on death row. I wish it were worst then it is. I am sure the victims would switch with them if they were still alive!!!!!
I think the death peanality is a horrible idea. Takeing a life for a life is not right. These people on death row are already punished by themselves, and sosiety for what they have done. some sit in those 5 by 9 cells and only get out for an hour a week. think about what those people do to themselves having no choice but to think what they have done to the others family, but ya know these people on death row have families too and how do you think they fill, not knowing how long they will live, or when they will die. God say's killing is wrong so they kill people who killed others they are guilty of murder also. I am a family member of a death row inmate and i worry wonder and hurt everyday all because of this stupid wrongful law. My prayers go out to all the death row inmates and their families
Iam a great believer in the death penalty if they killed someone then they should be sentenced to death and not have their sentences commuted to life without parole even if the jury is a hung one. Only way the sentence should be reduced if they thourghly check the evidence to see if they have missed anything and if not keep them on death row till the day of their execution. If someone killed a member of my family then I would expect them to get the death penalty and if I found out that they got their sentece reduced to life without parole I would create havoc. I heard a story not that long ago when Kenny Richey was freed from death row and allowed to come back home the I heard that a man that was in the next cell also for murder he was'nt freed like Richey but had his sentence commuted to life without parole which was'nt very fare. Even though Iam Scottish I still think that Kenny Richey should still be on death row or even executed because I think he did do it reason being is that he is an arrogant pig and can get away with anything especially murder, and now he is on remand in Saughton Prison in Edinburgh waiting for a court date because he attack a 63 year old man becaus ho never gave him back the money that he owed Richey. So in a nutshell you take a life then you should have yor life taken from you also.
Read the Bible, God set up death penalty, when his laws were broken. A city was even set aside, for those who accidentally killed without malice or intent. I cannot for one cry a tear for a person being executed, and I would not for one, want to see a person executed. I think the punishment should fit the crime. If you can't do the time, don't do the crime as the old Barretta song goes. I am not saying the death penalty is a deterrent, because obviously, people still kill and will, regardless of whether death is by lethal injection, electrocution, firing squad or hanging. The problem is, every man is afforded the right to a speedy trial according to the Constitution, however victims are not afforded a speedy justice due to the appellate system that drags out a death row man's life for 20 to 30 years, waiting to die. So don't cry for the criminal and don't hate the justice. Read your Bible, and you'll find where justice began.
A well prepared and excellent narration of the DP.
After careful consideration of all the facts presented here and the ones I have researched, I submit the following:
1.- After an individual has been found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, he or she should be executed right away. The expediency of the execution should be viewed as a last act of compassion for the condemned.
To linger in a 5x9 cell for 9 to 20 years seems a bit inhumane.
2.- Considerable savings to the taxpayers.
3.- Lighter load for the judicial system that is over burdened with the many appeals from the perpetrators that claim to know "how to work" the system.
It is time that we law abiding citizens stand up for our rights to be free of this threat to safety and lives.
If a person is afflicted by a malignant tumor, steps are taken to remove such malady. I believe this is a good analogy concerning individuals that have violated our right to live in peace and to be free of external threats to us and our loved ones.
To Joni,
I have read your comments with avid interest. Very humane, very compassionate.
Please take a rubber band in your hands, stretch it and let it go to its original shape. It may whip you a little, but it does illustrate the Law of Action and Reaction. What it means is: For every Action, there is a Reaction.
You take somebody's life, you forfeit your life.
We are assuming that the individual killed another person for pecuniary gain, greed, hatred or whatever, and such individual has been found guilty of murder on the first degree beyond REASONABLE DOUBT.
The perpetrator has a family, and so the victim.
How do you respond to my comment?
Partha, I agree with everything you said.Killing a person is a crime and they deserve some punishment for that.I'm against death penalty.
As someone who was at the Walls Unit for the most recent execution,I felt strange knowing that I was leaving to freedom as was the guy strapped to the gurney in the death chamber, only my freedom is found with life to live.I saw the van that trasported the dead but free body to the county morgue,it was aweful,I'll never go back.
I have always been against the death penalty. I have in the past thought of it as inhumane. I recently had the opportunity to read some of the crimes some of the deathrow inmates had been found guilty of I was horrified. My god these poor victims, some of whome were as young as 2 years had no say in when they died or the matter in which they died. Many of these victims suffered up until the time of their death, and knew they were going to die. I do not know if I am for or against the death penalty at this point. but I know that there is no room in our society for a person who can take a life in exchange for a TV set, or take the life of a child by slashing their throats and then go and have breakfast. I guess they do deserve to die, but I am not sure that it is up to us to pronounce such a judgement. I can only hope and believe that there is a greater justice beyond any that man has the power to impose.
i live on margeret street in stayner ontario canada
and lookin for some men to havee a good time
whoever is in favor of death penalty is the most ignorant fool.. only god is the one to decide who dies when, and how.. not the stupid goverment! people make mistakes alright but who doesn't??? i am not in favor of criminals but keep in mind that some of this men in death row are actually innocent...
put that sorry ass george w bush on d r
put that sorry ass george w bush on d r
