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--Christopher is innocent. This is the most important
reason to help Christopher in this battle. Since 1973, 102 people in 25 states have been released from death
row because they were proven to be innocent, including four this year (2002). Click
the link below for graphics.
Innocence Statistics
--The death penalty is applied unfairly. The facts show
that the less money you have, the more likley you are to be given a death sentence.
--The death penalty is racist. The race of the defendant is often a factor in determining whether
or not the death penalty is given. The race of the victim is also a factor. Click on link below for more data.
--The death penalty is not a deterrent of violent crime. When comparisons are made between
states with the death penalty, and states without the death penalty, the majority of death penalty states show murder rates
higher than non-death penalty states. The average murder rate per 100,000 population in 1999 among death penalty states was
5.5, whereas the average murder rate among non-death penalty states was only 3.6. (Click on link below for graphic)
--The death penalty is expensive. In Texas, a death penalty costs an average of 2.3
million, about three times the cost of imprisoning someone in a single cell at the highest security level
for 40 years. (Dallas Morning News, March 8, 1992)
--The death penalty is immoral. More than 30 religious
organizations have official statements opposing capital punishment on various moral and humanitarian grounds.
Faith Groups Against the Death Penalty
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| Graves of Texas death row prisoners. |
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