"I began writing to Geoff (not his real name in order to protect his identity) who is on Death Row in America, six years ago. The way this occurred was a bit haphazard. I remember feeling a lot of unrest at that time after hearing a local woman had committed suicide, by throwing herself in a river. It shocked me, and was a catalyst in thinking more about my own death and the death of others. With these thoughts still prevalent, I decided to go online, and somehow ended up going on a website of an organization called LifeLines.
LifeLines is a voluntary organisation which sets up pen-friendships with Death Row prisoners in America. I found the website’s language deeply compassionate and fitting in with my own thoughts at the time. Not only was there the political element of being vehemently opposed to the death penalty, but a message of faith, that a prisoner and the US prison system needs committed witnesses to the truth that all human life is inviolable and sacred.
So I wrote to LifeLines. My hope was that one of the 3297 on death row, would move from being a statistic, to a more concrete and real human person.
I was hesitant about mentioning my faith when contacting LifeLines, in case it wasn’t well received. But I reasoned that it was my faith that was attracting me to LifeLines. The words of St. Ambrose, commenting on God’s punishment of Cain resonate with me still: ‘God drove Cain out of his presence and sent him into exile far away, so that he passed from a life of human kindness to one more akin to the rude existence of a wild beast. God, who preferred the correction rather than the death of a sinner, did not desire that a homicide be punished by the exaction of another act of homicide.’
I am glad now that I did mention my faith, because faith was a criterion they used when matching me up with Geoff, who himself has a deep faith. I would love to be able to say that we hit it off right away, but that wasn’t the case. In the first 6-12 months I barely wrote to him at all. I think the sheer realisation that I was now in contact with a real prisoner, living with what he had done, left me paralysed with misgivings. It got to the point where the LifeLines contact for Arizona prison telephoned me, and asked me directly whether I wanted to carry on with letter writing, as my lack of contact had upset Geoff.
I decided in favour of continuing, and trying to patch up our early misgivings of each other, and I am so glad that I did. There were things that still left me uneasy; one being that with each letter I received came the realization that this man was not well educated at all. Mental retardation is now a definition that prevents the accused being sent to death row, but it still made me wonder how many slip in just below this definition.
Even bearing that in mind though, our friendship has since blossomed. We both have faith, and when he thanks me for writing a powerful psalm or a prayer that I think applies to his rather unique situation, I know he means it. I think prisoners are so lacking in resources, that they aren’t as open to being over-saturated as we are, which I think deepens a prisoner’s appreciation of snippets of faith.
But its not all faith. We are both sport-mad, and often relate to each other how our respective teams are doing. The only problem has being trying to explain exactly what cricket is. The closest I get is to say it’s a bit like baseball!
It also touches me when he asks about my family as I know that in his heart, he not only thinks and prays for me, but for my family as well. That means a lot to me, but is at times tinged with sadness, as his family has largely disowned him – a situation facing many who are on Death Row. We just take heart from each other, and we now write to each other at least once a month.
I am delighted that International Prison Outreach is introducing pen-friendships as part of its remit. It will give an added dimension to the way it reaches out to prisoners, and will nourish not only prisoners who are often left isolated, but be a source of great grace to those who put themselves forward as a pen-friend. With friendship, even the darkest predictions of the future can be transformed to believe again in the love and mercy of God. "
If you would like to be considered as a penpal to a prisoner on Death Row, please write to: International Faith Outreach, |
DEATH ROW FACTS
- 35 USA states have the death penalty
- 3297 prisoners on death row in USA
- California has most death row inmates (678)
- 51 women on death row
- 42% of death row inmates are black
- 1168 executions since 1976, 997 by lethal injection
- In Texas, death penalty case costs on average $2.3 million, about 3 times the cost of imprisoning someone in a single cell for 40 years
- Since 2002, a landmark ruling in Atkins v Virginia, ruled it unconstitutional to be sentenced to death when defined as mentally retarded.
- 49 exonerations between 1997- 2004
- 101 prisoners put to death since 1970 have since been found innocent
- Justice John Paul Stevens: ‘ this country [USA] would be much better off if we did not have capital punishment’, partly because of the danger of error in capital convictions
- Over 90% polled supported allowing DNA testing to demonstrate innocence
- Case example: Joseph Amrine v Roper 2003 sentenced to death in 1986 for murder of a fellow prisoner. Amrine maintained his innocence. Amrine convicted on testimony of fellow mates, three of whom later recanted their testimony. Missouri court released Amrine in 2003
- Support for the death penalty in USA peaked with 80% in 1994, but is now around 64%
- Over 40% of Gallup poll of 2006 were in favour of life without parole as alternative to death penalty
