Families of the condemned feel punished, too

AP via The Austin American Statesman ^ | Sunday, December 31, 2006 | Kristen Gelineau

[xJones]

"These are victims, too," said Susannah Sheffer, co-author of the report, which is based on interviews with 36 relatives of executed inmates across the nation. "These people exist, they are harmed, and we need to address that harm."

These people STILL exist, they're not dead unlike their loved ones' victims. We could begin to address that harm by having them listen to the pain, the harm, that was done to the families of the innocent murdered victims - as if they would care about that.

[K. Anderson]

While I am a firm believer in capital punishment, I also know that the families of inmates are victims themselves...not of the state, but of their law-breaking relative. I work with the children of inmates, some as young as four and others as old as seventeen. Most live in poverty...daddy is in prison, not at work. As if the emotional roller coaster of being a teenager is not enough, they have the additional burden of shame, guilt, and embarassment. Many are ostracized at school due to the stigma of having an incarcerated parent. These children suffer daily, and I would never dream of telling them to suck it up and get over it. Regardless of one's feelings on crime and punishment, it needs to be recognized that there are other victims of a criminal's actions aside from the obvious. That their victimization stems from their relation to the inmate does not make it any less real or any less painful.

[Kimmers]

Thank you for that voice of reason.

I work in as a middle school nurse and we had to mother a child that was being raised by the grandparents and dad was in jail in one state and mom was incarcerated locally.

I am fortunate enough to be employed in a school system that this case is pretty rare but when it comes up they do everything in their power to help these kids.

[RedRover]

"These are victims, too," said Susannah Sheffer, co-author of the report...."These people exist, they are harmed, and we need to address that harm."

LOL! That's one for the "liberals say the darnedest things" file.

[montag813]

"Creating More Victims: How Executions Hurt the Families Left Behind," by Murder Victims' Families for Human Rights

Don't you just love these Orwellian titles that the enemy left comes up with? I am waiting for the "Military Families for the War Crimes Prosecution of American Soldiers"

[pinz-n-needlez]

From the Where Are They Now? file....

~"These are victims, too," said Susannah Sheffer, co-author of the report, which is based on interviews with 36 relatives of executed inmates across the nation. "These people exist, they are harmed, and we need to address that harm."~

Happy New Year!

[BunnySlippers]

They can forever remember their family member who inflicted the pain on them.

[Hildy]

The great Utopian dream...NOBODY FEELS ANY PAIN IN THEIR LIVES. What a crock.

[Grizzled Bear]

A sane person wouldn't admit that they married a serial rapist and murderer. Only someone looking for some sick, twisted form of notoriety would. They would quietly put that behind them and move on.
__________________________________________________________
What do you think of the nutcases who marry death row inmates after they are sentenced? IIRC most are European.

Also; If her husband wasn't executed but got life in prison she would be whining about people shunning her due to her husband's imprisonment. She would be speaking out about him being incarcerated.

[Charles H. (The_r0nin)]

I'd need to know more about the "cases" selected here in order to have too much compassion. For example, there was a recent case where the wife of the accused rapist provided a false alibi for him (that was pretty quickly disproven). If a spouse looks the other way (I mean, how do you not know your husband is a serial rapist????) or even tries to help the criminal, then yes, they should be treated as a pariah...

[ADemocratNoMore]

> "When somebody says, 'How did your husband die?' and you say, 'Oh, he was executed by the State of Texas,' their hand leaves you and they walk away as if you are contagious with this death penalty disease," said Christina Lawson, whose husband, David Martinez, was executed last year for the rape and murder of Kiersa Paul, a 24-year-old University of Minnesota student, on Austin's Barton Creek greenbelt in 1997.

"When somebody says, 'How did your husband die?' and you say, 'Oh, he was executed by the State of Iraq,' their hand leaves you and they walk away as if you are contagious with this death penalty disease," said Sajida Hussein, whose husband, Saddam, was executed last week for the rapes, tortures and murders of hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians. On the brighter side of things, Saddam now gets to spend quality time with his sons Uday and Qusay, who were permanently transfered to Hell some time ago. They could not be reached for comment.

[freekitty]

So society is suppose to let murderers live their lives out?

[kalee]

I'm sorry for them. I realize it must be horrid to believe that someone you know and love could commit a crime as awful as murder or rape, but justice demands some type of reparation and the death penalty is allowed in this country. The family members need to place the blame where it lies with their family member who committed the crime that led to his/her execution.