Death Row, USA (and fatherlessness)
Two of the Blogmanac's favourite subjects in one audio program: capital punishment, and the role of fatherlessness in male crime (it is, by the way, a stronger indicator than socio-economic status, education, race, ethnicity, religion and literacy):
"Juan Melendez: It was 1984 I was wrongly convicted for first degree murder. The victim was a 57-year-old white man who was found dead in his place of business. The victim was the owner of two cosmetology schools, and the victim was also a teacher. The victim was what you call, you consider a person of the higher society.
"Damien Carrick: How were you implicated in his death?
"Juan Melendez: A police informant, what they call in the streets a snitch. The case was based on two criminals, two questionable witnesses, that do crime and get leniency for their own crimes they commit, when they make deals with the Prosecutor, in this case it’s the State of Florida.
"Damien Carrick: So you were found guilty by a jury of having murdered this man; so what, you went on Death Row?
"Juan Melendez: Well I was found guilty, we start picking out the jury on a Monday, Tuesday we still picking jury, Wednesday the evidence came in, that’s what I told you. Those who found me guilty decided to send me to death, and the judge complained that it was taking too long.
"Damien Carrick: You’re telling me that there was a first degree murder trial lasted literally two days?
"Rachel Sommerville: And it sounds always corny, but I can’t overemphasise the importance of the place of a strong father, parent, father figure in these men’s lives. If they had a father, he was usually totally irresponsible and out of their life, or he was violent. And they never, ever had a decent father in their lives, any male character. And when a DA stands up and says he had a choice, that there were others out there who have had the same lives as our client, but never, ever committed such a crime, I can always say ‘You give me the person that had the same life as our client, and I will show you that there was always intervention. There was some intervention, usually by a very strong male character that picked them up and showed them that there were other ways of being in this world.'"
Listen Real Media :: Windows Media Download MP3 :: Podcast :: Help [Average file size: 14MB]
Death Row USA
Tagged: fatherlessness, capital+punishment, execution, crime, law, usa
"Juan Melendez: It was 1984 I was wrongly convicted for first degree murder. The victim was a 57-year-old white man who was found dead in his place of business. The victim was the owner of two cosmetology schools, and the victim was also a teacher. The victim was what you call, you consider a person of the higher society.
"Damien Carrick: How were you implicated in his death?
"Juan Melendez: A police informant, what they call in the streets a snitch. The case was based on two criminals, two questionable witnesses, that do crime and get leniency for their own crimes they commit, when they make deals with the Prosecutor, in this case it’s the State of Florida.
"Damien Carrick: So you were found guilty by a jury of having murdered this man; so what, you went on Death Row?
"Juan Melendez: Well I was found guilty, we start picking out the jury on a Monday, Tuesday we still picking jury, Wednesday the evidence came in, that’s what I told you. Those who found me guilty decided to send me to death, and the judge complained that it was taking too long.
"Damien Carrick: You’re telling me that there was a first degree murder trial lasted literally two days?
* Ø * Ø * Ø *
"Rachel Sommerville: And it sounds always corny, but I can’t overemphasise the importance of the place of a strong father, parent, father figure in these men’s lives. If they had a father, he was usually totally irresponsible and out of their life, or he was violent. And they never, ever had a decent father in their lives, any male character. And when a DA stands up and says he had a choice, that there were others out there who have had the same lives as our client, but never, ever committed such a crime, I can always say ‘You give me the person that had the same life as our client, and I will show you that there was always intervention. There was some intervention, usually by a very strong male character that picked them up and showed them that there were other ways of being in this world.'"
Listen Real Media :: Windows Media Download MP3 :: Podcast :: Help [Average file size: 14MB]
Death Row USA
Tagged: fatherlessness, capital+punishment, execution, crime, law, usa
Pip Wilson posted item above at 8:30 PM | Permalink
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