Watch: Myth #4 - Only evil people are executed

MYTH

Only evil people are executed. People on death row are truly evil.

FACT

There is a lot more to a human being than his worst action. 

• Prisoners on death row are usually people who have suffered terrible abuses and become the product of their environment.

Most people on death row have been let down by their family and society from a very early age.  Justice should not be about killing them at the end of a difficult life path. It should be about preventing them from getting onto that path in the first place.

• There is more to a human being than his worst action.  Research shows that people can change and suggests that a vast majority of murderers have the potential to change, if given a chance.

Further to the Furman v. Georgia decision that the death penalty constitutes a cruel and unusual punishment in 1972, 322 people were released from death row in the USA.  In nearly 90% of cases, released prisoners never again committed any violent felonies. In 7 out of 10 cases, the reason for re-incarceration has been technical violations (such as failing to inform a parole officer of a change of address) or non-violent crimes (such as an alcohol offence). The level of faith, support from family and friends, and education proved to be critical factors in positive reintegrations. (Source: Joan Cheever’s book Back from the Dead).

“That’s what he wanted to tell me on the phone, when we arranged to meet. That it is possible to change. That a life can be turned around. That he’s not the same as he was when he was 21. He knows many people, especially the victim’s families, will never be able to forgive him. It’s even harder, Leroy says, to forgive yourself (…). He says he knows he can never give back the life he took and he says he struggles daily, trying to give something back to his community. (…)  Leroy frequently gets calls from friends and neighbours for advice on how to help their own troubled sons. He appears to be a model citizen and a good neighbour”. (Back from the Dead, Joan M. Cheever)

•  Many criminals suffer from mental illness.

Many people around the world fail to acknowledge the diminished responsibility of someone who acted as they did because they suffer from a mental illness.  No-one in his right mind would rape a baby or chop up their mother, girlfriend, or neighbour.

Reprieve has worked with psychiatric doctors in a number of our cases to secure a diagnosis and treatment, or to act as expert witnesses for our clients. Read about Akmal Shaikh, who was executed in China, despite overwhelming evidence of serious mental health problems.

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