[Enemy Of The State]

Freep Info:

For more information please call Amnesty International's press office in London, UK, on +44 20 7413 5566
Amnesty International, 1 Easton St., London WC1X 0DW. web: http://www.amnesty.org

For latest human rights news view http://news.amnesty.org

[Enemy Of The State]

"studies consistently indicating that the justice system places a higher value on white life than on black".

That is the most rediculous line of Horse Hockey I have ever heard.

Our justice system does not place a higher regard for the lives of Whites over Blacks and if these fruit cake peons would look at the real figures they would find out that the reason the majority of death row inmates are black is because the number of blacks comitting these are higher than whites. duh!

[BeAllYouCanBe]

"We don't believe the courts catch all inequities, including those caused by conscious or unconscious racism"

This usconscious racism is an interesting concept. So even though we are trying not to be racist until the numbers come out right we're racist.

Maybe the numbers (statistics) are unconsciously biased to find a problem where none exists?? Just asking - but my limited exposure to the "justice system" says that incompitance is responsible more than anything mystical.

[dark_lord]

Most murders in the USA involve perpetrators and victims of the same race, yet nearly 200 African Americans have been executed for the murder of white victims --15 times as many as the number of whites put to death for killing blacks, and at least twice as many as the number of blacks executed for the murder of other blacks.

One reason for this statistic is that murderers are much more likely to get the death penalty if they kill a stranger rather than an immediate member of their family or a "friend". The latter are often considered "crimes of passion" and have a lower penalty (for various reasons -- the killer may feel terrible remorse from a killing while drunk, and they may not be viewed as someone who will "kill again".) It is also the fact that many of these black killers have been dangerous low-life scumbags with little regard to human life. Killing a few people while robbing a convenience store, with a long criminal record, will get you executed regardless of your race.

[thoughtomator]

It's too bad that the anti-death penalty brigades have latched onto racism as the keystone of their reasoning, when there are at least two reasons that are much more compelling and universal that they ignore. (Of course, those reasons are conservative, that's why they ignore them.)

[codercpc]

I know I will be flamed on this board, but I have on my fire retartdent gear on so I am ready.

I am a firm believer in the death penalty in principle, but in reality I find it extremely unfair. I don't have a problem with the number of blacks on death row unfair, if they deserved it, I find the descrepancy of numbers of whites on deathrow the problem.

If we truly have a color-blind, and "wallet"-blind justice system, why are the descrepancies there? Why is a poor person more likely to get on death row than a rich person.

I don't find the total #'s disturbing, I just think it should be more across the board. Why did the DA of California even hesitate to charge Scott Peterson with a Capital offense? Because of the chance of not getting a good looking white man found guilty. Its a proven fact in some jurisdictions that you have a better chance of a guilty verdict if you take out the capital punishment. Why? Look at OJ. Until it is either enforced across the board in the states where it is a law, I have problems with it.

I hope you all understand my point, I am not against the death penalty at all, I just think it has become to unfair to have in a "fair" judicial system.

[Bogey78O]

What is this the California chapter of Xinhau?

I read on the People's Daily that only 15 white people have been executed by the Feds ever. While over 10,000 blacks have been executed.

Talk about off by a mile.

[nothingnew]

Minjok-Tongshin ^

Who or what the heck is that?

FMCDH

[templar]

African Americans account for 12 per cent of the population, ...

The author seems to have omitted the per cent of overall murders they account for. A simple oversight, I'm sure. However he does mention almost equal numbers of murders of blacks and whites and most murders involving members of the same race, which makes me think that maybe 12 per cent of the polulation commits 50 per cent of the murders (based strictly on race, but not implying all blacks are murders or other races not murderers. I have no idea from this article what percentage of blacks are murders or other races not murderers).

Somebody please correct me if my thinking is wrong here.

[Search4Truth]

Amnesty International is of the opinion that white people love to put black people to death, at every opportunity. That we place a lower value on someone's life, simply because of their race.

What is an honorable man to think of an organization that would have such a degraded view of him?

Reminds me of a saying, "A man sees in the world, that which is already in his heart".

[ex-snook]

There also is sexual discrimination. More men than women receive the death penalty. What to do. Women have to change their nature.

[onedoug]

The penalties we ascribe for murder are a function of how we value human life. The way we carry them out may well reflect our human imperfections. But nothing should undermine our fundamental, American values.

[RightWhale]

Does FR need to discuss such issues of the Left? Most of these issues are made-up pedantic museum pieces not necessary for inclusion in a modern text.

[Still Thinking]

African Americans account for 12 per cent of the population, ...At least one in five of the African Americans executed since 1977, and a quarter of the blacks put to death for killing whites, were tried in front of all-white juries," Amnesty International continued. "What were the odds of this happening for entirely non-discriminatory reasons?"

Well, the odds of an all white jury being selected by chance are (1.0-0.12)^12, or 21.57%. Oh, guess what, that's exactly in line with the jury composition figures they're using to "prove" racism! Besides, even if the prosecutors WERE trying to pack the jury box with those most likely to vote for conviction, doesn't the defense have the same power to shape the jury, and isn't that viewed as being part of their job, these days??

[FITZ]

Most murders in the USA involve perpetrators and victims of the same race, yet nearly 200 African Americans have been executed for the murder of white victims --15 times as many as the number of whites put to death for killing blacks, and at least twice as many as the number of blacks executed for the murder of other blacks.

You can't look at numbers ----you'd have to look at ratios ---not as many whites kill blacks as blacks kill whites. As for the number of blacks executed for killing other blacks ---that would be an argument for why there should be more death penalty executions.

[ladyinred]

To show how PC the world is, I hesitate to comment on this, but here goes. If more blacks have committed murder than other races, then that might be why they are on death row. In California they need not worry as it is doubtful they will ever be executed anyway.

[Reactionary]

"The death penalty in the United States of America remains an act of racial injustice as well as an inherently cruel and degrading punishment, Amnesty International said today as it issued a new report on the continuing role of race in capital cases in the USA."

Unfortunately, for the Leftist paradigm to work one must assume that all races commit crime at exactly the same rate. Quite an assumption, really, considering that there isn't one whit of evidence to back up that claim.