(Catholic) Death-row inmate executed after governor denies clemency

[Lisa_N]

Xavier4Life:

These are actually Pope John Paul II’s guidelines (not the Church’s). For clarification on Church teaching concerning the death penalty I recommend this E-Letter by Karl Keating.

catholic.com/newsletters/kke_040302.asp

Thanks that makes it clear. Obviously not as “black and white” as abortion.

Lisa N

 

[chicago]

Lisa N:

Does anyone else remember the case of the departing governor who commuted ALL death sentences?

Lisa N

I assume you are talking about Illinois’s Republican Governor George Ryan. Actually, I am not certain that he commuted every death sentence, but certainly it was the great majority if not all. In certain cases, he granted pardons, also. He seemed genuinely troubled by the justice system’s errors and the need to, therefore, ensure that no innocent person (some of whom came precariously close) was put to death. He also issued a moratorium (which his sucessor Gov. Rod Blagojevich has allowed to stand) on carrying out of the death penalty for anyone sentenced to such punishment. This all ticked off the conservatives BIG TIME. Most of them accuse him of just trying to create good will among some seeing as how he is ridden with scandal for taking political bribes and likely will face trial eventually. Ironically, had Ryan’s Democratic opponent in the previous election prevailed, none of this would have likely ever happened; as Glenn Poshard was a downstate conservative Dem who supported capital punishment (and opposed abortion, incidently, which Ryan did not).

 

[Christus_Rex]

I’m glad we don’t have the death penalty in the UK, but to be honest our sentences are so small you’re usually out of prison really early. People in prison have more stuff than me - designer clothes, games consoles, TVs in their bedroom, a computer of their own. Prison is a good place to be in the UK!

As far as I’m concerned they should have a cell with four walls, bare floorboards, and be fed bread and water.

That’d make 'em not wnat to commit a crime again http://forum.catholic.com/images/smilies/signs/amen.png

Michael http://forum.catholic.com/images/smilies/smile.gif

 

[Barbara_Ann]

In my opinion the execution is the same as euthanasia. I know I would much rather recieve a lethal injection than spend my life in prison and die of natural causes there. In fact, I think lethal injection is preferable to most of the ways people die. That is not to say I am for euthanasia. Attractive as it is, it is not God’s will. I think of one particularly evil satanistic murderer, who recieved a life sentance. However that life sentance was very short. He died in extreme pain with leukemia The way we die is in the hands of God.
We have the right to defend ourselves but once the person is captured then his death is in the hands of God

 

[Digitonomy]

SnorterLuster:

Our last Catholic governor though routinely denied clemency against the board’s recommendation.

So he had the prisoners executed in spite of the board’s recommendation for clemency?
Lisa N:

Actually one reason I am curious about the governor’s latitude is that in Texas there seem to be a lot more death penalties actually carried out. I wonder if the governor in that state has less latitude or if it’s a matter that the parole board tends to be less likely to recommend commuting the sentence.

Very perceptive. I had not heard of this before, but a little Googling confirms you were on the right track, if just wide of the mark.

ccadp.org/TX-clemency.htm

If the Board votes against clemency, the Governor has no independent power to commute the sentence. The Governor can only commute a death sentence upon the recommendation of the Board of Pardons and Paroles.

 

[Lisa_N]

Digitonomy:

So he had the prisoners executed in spite of the board’s recommendation for clemency?

Very perceptive. I had not heard of this before, but a little Googling confirms you were on the right track, if just wide of the mark.

ccadp.org/TX-clemency.htm

Wow that is very interesting. I felt there had to be differences in a governor’s latitude. So they DONT have the power that many believe they have to commute a sentence in the absence of the parole board’s recommendation.

Lisa N

 

[Digitonomy]

Lisa N:

So they DONT have the power that many believe they have to commute a sentence in the absence of the parole board’s recommendation.

Most governors (33), however, do have that power.

This site lists the states by the different processes they use clemency requests of death row inmates.
DeathPenaltyInfo.org

I filled in the other states (which don’t have the death penalty) from
Criminal Justice Policy Foundation

Here you go:

States In Which the Governor Has Sole Authority (17):
Alabama, Alaska, California, Colorado, Kansas, Kentucky, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wyoming

States In Which the Governor Must Have the Recommendation of Clemency From a Board or Advisory Group (10):
Arizona, Delaware, Florida, Indiana, Louisiana, Montana, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas, Wisconsin

States In Which the Governor Receives a Non-binding Recommendation of Clemency From a Board or Advisory Group (16):
Arkansas, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, Tennessee, Vermont

States In Which a Board or Advisory Group Determines Clemency (4):
Connecticut, Georgia, Idaho, Minnesota

States In Which the Governor Sits on a Board or Advisory Group that Determines Clemency (3):
Nebraska, Nevada, Utah

 

[Friar_David_O.Carm]

States In Which the Governor Has Sole Authority (17):
Alabama, Alaska, California, Colorado, Kansas, Kentucky, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wyoming

Digitonomy,
Great work but I have a correction.

New York, while we have a Capital Punishment law on the books it has been ruled by the highest court in the State, the New York State Court of Appeals, that a provision within the law as written is unconstitutional. All those who have been convicted have had thier sentences commuted to life in prision and no new cases have been tried.

The wait is on the State Legislature to fix the law but it does not appear that this will happen any time soon.

Many believe that this provision was put in place as a poison pill, that is with the knowledge that it would be found unconstitutional and thereby render the law moot.

 

[Digitonomy]

This may be a correction to the first site that I linked, but my post is correct as it stands. With or without a death penalty, in New York

Executive clemency is granted at the sole discretion of the Governor according to the second link.

 

[Friar_David_O.Carm]

Digitonomy:

This may be a correction to the first site that I linked, but my post is correct as it stands. With or without a death penalty, in New York

Executive clemency is granted at the sole discretion of the Governor

according to the second link.

Without capital punishment there would be no need for clemency.

Anyways in New York no one convicted under the Capital Punishment statue has ever made it to the point of asking for clemency from the Governor as all of them have been overturned by the highest court in the State, the New York State Court of Appeals.

So I guess my reply was not a correction but more of supplying further information that the sites you link to do not have.

 

[JHutch]

Lisa N:

still see no reason for the death penalty in anything but the most extreme circumstances.
Lisa N

How much more extreme than beating and stomping an 82 year old woman to death then setting her house on fire would one have to go before being considered eligible for the death penalty?

 

[chicago]

ByzCath:

Without capital punishment there would be no need for clemency…

Well, no. Executive clemency could be granted to any prisoner in any situation. It doesn’t have to be a death penalty case. So, at least in the abstract, it must remain a possibility.

 

[Digitonomy]

JHutch:

How much more extreme than beating and stomping an 82 year old woman to death then setting her house on fire would one have to go before being considered eligible for the death penalty?

Uhhh, I think she explained her view on that already, back in posts #12 & 17.

chicago:

Executive clemency could be granted to any prisoner in any situation. It doesn’t have to be a death penalty case. So, at least in the abstract, it must remain a possibility.

Abstract, nothing. How about the concrete? Here are several cases from just the last three years:
New York State Defenders Association