The death penalty

 I have always been opposed to the death penalty. It is a cruel practice and is usually accompanied by torture, sometimes physical but practically always psychological in the way that people on death row are badly treated and dehumanised. It does not work as a deterrent. In England when thieves were hanged in public, pickpockets did a roaring trade at their executions, despite the danger of being caught and suffering the same fate. People in China can be executed for fraud and despite the publicity generated by show trials prominent politicians and businesspeople still commit frauds, thinking they will get away with it.

The biggest argument against the death penalty is that it is irrevocable. Clearly mistakes are made by the justice system; fines or terms of imprisonment can be reduced or set aside if it is later found that a person is innocent, but somebody who has been executed cannot be returned to life. Unfortunately, there have been many miscarriages of justice in the US. About ten years ago I went to a talk at a Quaker meeting house about LifeLines which I found very interesting, and I decided to join. LifeLines began in 1988 when its founder Jan Arriens watched the BBC documentary Fourteen Days in May and was deeply moved by the words of the condemned prisoners who were interviewed, and by the dignity of the man who was due to be executed, Edward Earl Johnson. I too watched the documentary and was also deeply moved and angry that this could happen in an otherwise civilised country. I filled in a form and stated some of my interests and Shawna was assigned to be my pen pal. We have written and lately emailed regularly ever since. Shawna is a remarkable lady. She is clearly innocent of the crime for which she was sentenced to death and has suffered all the indignities of the system. However, she has not allowed herself to be bowed down and faces the daily hardships with courage and dignity. Shawna is always interested in my family and what I have been up to. She often gives me good advice and has been a great support recently after my partner died and I have had some health issues. Although she is in a prison cell thousands of miles away and we have never met she has become one of my closest and dearest friends. Despite the conditions Shawna is a very fine artist and writer and has had pieces published in The Wing, the Lifelines magazine and some of her writing has been translated into German and published in Tabor magazine. She also acts as a mentor to some of the younger women. I admire Shawna immensely and I look forward to the day when she is released from prison and is able to join her friends and family and become a respected member of the community. Anthony Loukes