AUM students examine death penalty cases

[DeniseJJ]

AUM students examine death penalty cases

By Jessica M. Walker
Montgomery Advertiser

A class of 10 Auburn University Montgomery students will delve into the depths of Alabama's death row this summer to examine all capital punishment cases since it was reinstated in 1976. Factors such as race, juvenile status, the circumstances surrounding the capital cases, and possibly jury composition will be analyzed.

Paul Sharpe, AUM sociology professor, is leading the class, which comes on the heels of a failed legislative effort to put a moratorium on the death penalty in Alabama. However, Sharpe said there was no link between his special topics course and the political environment.

"I'm just interested in this. It had nothing to do with politics," said Sharpe, who has already amassed a wealth of information on capital cases in Alabama.

Sharpe said that Alabama's first execution was a hanging in 1812, and since then he said there have been 720 executions. And of the executions on file, 700 were black men and women.

"The class will collect data on hopefully everyone charged with a capital crime since the reinstatement of the death penalty. Then we will look county by county at the outcome of these crimes," Sharpe said.

The students, who range in majors from public safety to psychology and nursing, will work with non-profits that keep records on the prison systems, such as the Alabama Prison Project, and will also use court records and data from the Alabama Department of Corrections. Once the data is gathered, Sharpe hopes to put it on a publicly accessible web site. And the American Civil Liberties Union plans to use some of the classes data to write a large-scale report on the state of the death penalty, Sharpe said.

A visit to death row is also planned for the course.

Alabama, which has the highest number of death row inmates per capita, does not currently have a database comparing comparable factors in varying cases.

Alabama is also one of six states that allows the execution of juveniles and the only state in which a judge can override a jury's decision for life without parole and sentence a defendant to death.

[softheart]

I think this is a good thing, these students will get a first hand look at the DP for what it really is. They will be the future and the ones who decide the DP is barbaric.

I only wish more students and classes did this, since these kids are out tomorrow.

softie

[rosita]

Softheart, I agree wholeheartedly. I like the fact that they will be touring death row. That will provide a good dose of reality. I wish juries that sentence defendants to death could also have a look.

[softheart]

I agree with you Rosita I think it is a good thing for the students. I wish every gov had to tour DR in every state and also be there for the executions that they so easily sign death warrents for.

softie