WORSE THAN TEXAS

l stole the title from the Economist because it triggers an instant reaction of shock and disbelief. How can little Alabama be worse that the mighty state of Texas? Mlghty at least when lt comes to the death penalty?

Well, we are worse than Texas when it comes to number of death sentences, and we are not speaking per capita. This is not new, so why has our state suddenly made headlines with articles proliferating and garnering attention nationally and state-wide?

The Board approved signing on in support of the Second Chance Reauthorization Act which is moving to the Senate. Pictures and Bios of the Board are up on our website www.phadp.org. The newsletter is at the printers and we are encouraged by the support for Derrick Mason.
See you next week! Esther

We discussed the Talking Points for Derrick and were shocked that the AL Supreme Court set a date before the U.S. Supreme Court heard and ruled on the Cory Maples case, which is very similar to Derrick's. We also made plans for a celebration of life party, thanks to a kind friend in Germany. Derrick is doing well!
See you next week! Esther

Execution Alert

Alabama has set September 22nd 2011 as the execution date for Derrick O’Neal Mason.

Derrick O’Neal Mason           September 22

We were shocked to learn this morning that Derrick, who is a member of the phadp Executive Board, was given an execution date. I will be discussing Derrick's Talking Points with the Board at the meeting tomorrow and will then send them out, asking for your help.

Thank you for always letting your voices be heard!

Esther and the Board

Discussed the potential effect the hearing by the U.S. Supreme Court of the Cory Maples case could have by highlighting Alabama's failure to provide counsel or any legal assistance for indigent death-sentenced inmates in postconviction proceedings. "As a result, those who are fortunate enough to have attorneys must rely on pro bono counsel, most of whom practice far from Alabama," states a brief filed on Cory Maples behalf. Oral arguments are set for October 4th.

We also sang Happy Birthday for 3 of the Board members.

See you next week! Esther

Discussed the pictures and bios of the Board members received today. We have a Board and a Sub-Board and, without being the least bit biased, I can tell you they are a bunch of good looking, dedicated guys! We will have their pictures and bios up on our web site in the very near future. All are asking their friends and pen pals to join us on our facebook page. As always, the Board was brought up to date on death penalty developments around the nation. Next week we will have 3 birthdays to celebrate. See you then! Esther

Following the release of EJI's new report on judge override in Alabama [1], the state's major newspapers are calling for reform of the override law.

The Mobile Press-Register [2] yesterday described judge override in Alabama as "unfair to juries, defendants and judges alike," and called on the appellate courts or the Legislature to limit the practice. The paper noted that rulings seeking to limit override are not being enforced, leaving in place a system that robs juries of their decision-making role and unfairly pressures elected judges to be "tough on crime."

The EJI report, The Death Penalty in Alabama: Judge Override, is at:
 http://eji.org/eji/files/Override_Report.pdf

The EJI Report on jury override continues to be of great interest to all. The Board members reviewed and were delighted with the graphs from the 2005 poll. They are now posted on the library bulletin board for prisoners and prison staff to see. Also discussed were the indeterminate stays in Arkansas and Ohio linked to the lethal injection protocols. There is a month's stay for the same reason in FL.

The Board is delighted to announce that Rev. Tom Duley and Claudia Whitman have joined our Advisory Board. Both are long time friends and both have been actively working for abolition for many years. We have consulted with them for many years and so thoug...ht it was about time to make it official. Also discussed was an email received from a 3rd year law student in Mass who is doing an independent study on Modern Trends in Capital Punishment with a focus on Alabama. She posed particular questions, which the Board, among other individuals will answer.