The death of innocents by Sister helen prejean
Published by Vintage books in New York (2006)
Excerpt: The Fifth Circuit and
the Supreme Court at last found a case in which they could acknowledge that
Texas had gone too far in allowing abysmal representation. Calvin Burdine’s court-appointed lawyer, Joe
Frank Cannon, in full view of everyone in the courtroom, had slept during his
client’s trial. Unsurprisingly, texas,
where the quality of representation of capital defendants is so poor that a third
of the lawyers who represented defendants sent to row had been sanctioned for
legal misbehavior, upheld Burdine’s conviction and sentence. Ten other clients of Cannon’s also received death
sentences.
Sister Helen Prejean is a Catholic nun who has dedicated her life to abolishing the death penalty. She provides a first-hand account of what it is like to spiritually advice an inmate on death row, including what it is like to watch them die.
In her book, The Death of Innocents, Sister Prejean provides detailed accounts of experiences of innocent men who were put to death for crimes they did not commit. Her multi-faceted argument includes exposing racial disparity, a flawed legal system, and a lack of concern for justice and truth.
In the above excerpt, Sister Prejean shows what little voice the many defendants have within the legal system. There is no better example of the injustices we have talked about in class than nobody caring about a sleeping defense lawyer and the lives that lawyer is condemning to death.
Sister Helen Prejean is a Catholic nun who has dedicated her life to abolishing the death penalty. She provides a first-hand account of what it is like to spiritually advice an inmate on death row, including what it is like to watch them die.
In her book, The Death of Innocents, Sister Prejean provides detailed accounts of experiences of innocent men who were put to death for crimes they did not commit. Her multi-faceted argument includes exposing racial disparity, a flawed legal system, and a lack of concern for justice and truth.
In the above excerpt, Sister Prejean shows what little voice the many defendants have within the legal system. There is no better example of the injustices we have talked about in class than nobody caring about a sleeping defense lawyer and the lives that lawyer is condemning to death.
Are Prisons Obsolete? by Angela Davis
published by seven stories press in new york (2003)
Excerpt: As the rate of increase
in the incarceration of black prisoners continues to rise, the racial composition
of the incarcerated population is approaching the proportion of black prisoners
to white in the era of the southern convict lease and county chain gang
systems. Whether this human raw material
is used for purposes of labor or for the consumption of commodities provided by
a rising number of corporations directly implicated in the prison industrial
complex, it is clear that black bodies are considered dispensable within the “free
world” but as a major source of profit in the prison world.
Angela Davis is an academic scholar, political activist, and author who was a prominent figure in the counterculture movement of the 1960s, as well as a voice for social reforms. In her book, Are Prisons Obsolete?, Davis makes a radical and compelling argument to abolish prisons all together.
While at first her ideas may seem fantastic, coming face to face with all of the short comings of the penal system makes it seem as though Angela’s ideas may not be so bad after all. Are Prisons Obsolete? was one of the most comprehensive works we read this semester. It addresses issues everywhere from race and gender inequality, to cruel and unusual punishment, and the prison industrial complex.
Though it is unlikely that prisons will ever be abolished in America, Davis’s novel views may help sway prison proponents to the middle and offer hope to those trying to fix a broken system.
Angela Davis is an academic scholar, political activist, and author who was a prominent figure in the counterculture movement of the 1960s, as well as a voice for social reforms. In her book, Are Prisons Obsolete?, Davis makes a radical and compelling argument to abolish prisons all together.
While at first her ideas may seem fantastic, coming face to face with all of the short comings of the penal system makes it seem as though Angela’s ideas may not be so bad after all. Are Prisons Obsolete? was one of the most comprehensive works we read this semester. It addresses issues everywhere from race and gender inequality, to cruel and unusual punishment, and the prison industrial complex.
Though it is unlikely that prisons will ever be abolished in America, Davis’s novel views may help sway prison proponents to the middle and offer hope to those trying to fix a broken system.