NCJ Number
86265
Date Published
1982
Length
16 pages
Annotation
The treatment of prisoners on death row as well as capital punishment itself violate the prisoners' natural right to life and the ethic of the humane treatment of one's fellowman, while presuming the impropriety of an absolute judgement by an imperfect system in an imperfect world.
Abstract
Observation of the conditions of Alabama's death row and interviews with 35 of its prisoners reveal a dehumanizing environment described repeatedly by its inhabitants as a 'living death.' Any person who has received the sentence of death is presumed to be a danger to himself and to others as well as being an escape risk. Death row security is therefore tight, with the inmates isolated in separate cells and all contact with persons outside the institution rigidly controlled. Exercise outside the cell is minimal, and each prisoner exercises alone. The guards tend to harass and demean the inmates. Overall, the inmates are deprived of human affection, communication, and stimulating activity, while their routine is so rigidly controlled that there is a complete sense of powerlessness. The awareness that they have been sentenced to death is the overarching confirmation that they are worthless. The ethic of death row and capital punishment justifies dehumanization and state-perpetrated death for the purpose of retribution. It is questionable whether such an ethic is consistent with respect for life, sensitivity to humane treatment, and an appreciation of the complex influences and mitigating circumstances that make everyone fallible. Twenty notes are listed.