Group pleased by Court ruling

By MAUREEN MCGUINNESS- | Comments: 0 | Leave a comment

New Yorkers Against the Death Penalty says that the recent ruling by the Supreme Court declaring that only juries can impose the death penalty, rather than judges, is a step in the right direction.

David Kaczynski, executive director of NYADP, said the ruling, taken with other recent decisions, including a ban on capital punishment for the mentally retarded, indicates that an end to the death penalty may lie in the future.

The Court struck down all death penalty laws in 1972. Since then, many states have reinstituted it, constructing what they believed to be better laws. However, Mr. Kaczynski said, the death penalty still discriminates against the poor and middle class, the mentally ill and minorities.

The recent rulings by the Court are encouraging and could presage a slow erosion of capital punishment, he said.

("Dead Man Walking," an opera based on the book by Sister Helen Prejean, who served as a spiritual advisor for a death row inmate, will have its East Coast debut in the fall. The book was made into an acclaimed movie starring Susan Sarandon. The opera version premieres Sept. 13 at Lincoln Center in New York City, where Sister Helen will make an appearance. Tickets for the premiere can be purchased through New Yorkers Against the Death Penalty, which also has tickets for other performances, including Sept. 17 and 21. Prices range from $70 to $103, and include a tax-deductible donation to NYADP. For information, contact MaryAnn Lettau at 489-0212 or email her at [email protected].)

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