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Home > Peace & Justice > Capital Punishment |
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Capital Punishment
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The
Sisters of St. Joseph and Associates have been joining with local and
national groups to abolish the death penalty. In the forefront of the
movement is
Sister Helen Prejean, CSJ
whose story of working on death row in her
book, Dead Man Walking, was made into a movie and now an opera. While declaring their opposition to the death penalty, Sisters reach out in compassion to victims of violent crime and work for necessary reforms of the prison system. Presently Sisters are supporting efforts towards a moratorium on executions and death warrants until the concept and process can be studied. In Tipton, a member of the Justice and Peace Committee rings the outdoor bell that stands nearby each time a prisoner is executed by the government. This small gesture calls everyone present to a moment of reflection and prayer . . . for whom does the bell toll? Members of the Governing Board of the Federation of the Sisters of St. Joseph representing the leaders of more than 9000 sisters in 23 congregations in the United States issued the following statement:
"We
have come to believe that the death penalty is the wrong punishment, that
it is a step away from redeemed humanity. Public legitimized killing is
not a solution to pain or even to grave injustices: it tends to unleash
and promote more pain and injustice. While we uphold the right of the
state to punish offenders and protect citizens from dangerous criminals,
we believe incarceration for life, without the possibility of parole is
more appropriate than the use of capital punishment." |
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1440 West Division Road, Tipton, Indiana 46072 · Phone: 765.675.4146 · Fax: 765.675.7471 |
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