Alabamians for a Moratorium on Executions
Alabama Arise
Alabama Committee to Abolish the Death Penalty
Alabama Prison Project
American Civil Liberties Union of Alabama
Project Hope to Abolish the Death Penalty
Bishop Henry Parsley, Episcopal Diocese of Alabama
Restorative Justice Team - North Alabama Conference - United Methodist Church
Southern Poverty Law Center
Rulings demonstrate need for moratorium on executions in Alabama
June 26, 2002
The U. S. Supreme Court’s two recent rulings in death penalty cases make clear that the court has deep reservations about the way the death penalty is implemented in the U.S.
Last week, the court ruled it is unconstitutional to execute the mentally retarded. This week the court declared sentences handed by judges alone to be in violation of the Constitution. These decisions demonstrate how important is has become to review the entire capital punishment process, and to halt executions in the meantime.
Alabamians for a Moratorium on the Death Penalty – a coalition of religious, social justice, and civil rights groups across Alabama – calls for a three-year moratorium on executions to allow the state to examine a host of serious questions raised by the courts, the American Bar Association, and the public about the administration of the death penalty. A moratorium will not eliminate capital punishment. During the three-year moratorium, individuals suspected of murder can still be charged with capital murder, tried and sentenced to death. A moratorium will only stop actual executions while a thorough exploration of the process is undertaken.
A moratorium bill with widespread backing by church and public interest groups was introduced during the 2001 session of the Alabama Legislature. The bill addressed execution of the mentally retarded, the execution of juveniles, the absence of competent counsel for individuals charged with capital murder and other troubling aspects of the application of death penalty in Alabama. Alabamians for a Moratorium on the Death Penalty expects a similar bill to be introduced in 2003.
Atlanta and five other major cities have passed moratorium resolutions, along with 20 additional towns and cities. Illinois and Maryland have statewide moratoriums in place. More than 1,000 groups, from church congregations to labor unions, have officially called for a moratorium. The American Bar Association has called for a moratorium. The courts are clearly troubled about the administration of this irreversible penalty.
Whether one supports or opposes the death penalty, it is now clear that the system is broken. Alabama should suspend executions now so that the obvious problems with its application can be thoroughly examined.
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