Weekly Report from the Board Meeting at Holman Prison 7.31.19

Weekly Report from the Board Meeting at Holman Prison 7.31.19

Last week the Justice Department announced that it will resume federal executions later this year after a 16-year pause, using a new lethal injection protocol and a single drug: pentobarbital. This is indeed very bad news not only for the 5 men who received an execution date but for the death penalty issue as such. Not only is the federal appeals process worse than those of the states, it is much briefer, but to have to hear the usual misinformed reasoning about closure coming from what one would hope reasonably educated individuals is truly disheartening. Closure if there is such a thing, comes from within and cannot be given to one. And as for those who think life without is not enough of a punishment, please try it and get back to us. A shameful and ignorant decision!

Alabama, Arkansas and Tennessee have filed friend-of-the-court briefs in support of the three-drug protocol that a federal judge ruled caused great suffering. Alabama has also filed a friend-of-the-court brief in one other case and it appears reasonable to think that it hopes that the argument might ultimately be aimed at the U.S. Supreme Court, where some of the conservative justices have opined that challenges to execution methods on cruelty grounds are really aimed at abolishing the death penalty by gumming up the legal process.

We strive to also have good news and so we are very pleased to welcome Josh Lambert who is on the AL GOP Executive Committee representing Bibb County. Josh reached out to us with an offer of help and joined our email list. Not surprisingly he has already contacted legislators numerous times and as the next move we both decided to join the email list of Conservatives Concerned About the Death Penalty which is affiliated with Equal Justice USA. And no, you don’t have to belong any particular party in order to be able to join. We are very grateful for these events because they once more give us an opportunity to reiterate that we are not affiliated with any political party and are glad that we can leave all the politically driven insults and name calling to others! The death penalty is not a party issue, it is a human rights issue and it will not be abolished without the support from both sides of the aisle.

We continue to thank anonymous donors who gave by going to our website and using the “donate” button and of course also those who gave directly. We thank all who believe in what we do and stand with us. You make a difference!

                                                                 Esther