The Death Penalty

rgambs

i think solitary confinement is the "middle way"
do a little research into the effect it has on the brain and you may come to see it as a heinous punishment that fits many heinous crimes!
i also think solitary should be reserved for the worst and most dangerous criminals and we should stop filling our prisons with minor drug offenders.

Thirty Bills Unpaid

rgambs said:

i think solitary confinement is the "middle way"
do a little research into the effect it has on the brain and you may come to see it as a heinous punishment that fits many heinous crimes!
i also think solitary should be reserved for the worst and most dangerous criminals and we should stop filling our prisons with minor drug offenders.

I could live with such a consequence. I think you would discover though, unless attitudes have changed, that some of the same people arguing against capital punishment would argue against solitary confinement as well. It's been placed in this very thread that not only do we need to preserve life for people like Gacy... but we have a responsibility to make concerted efforts to rehabilitate and provide humane prison conditions for them as well.

We should stop filling prisons with minor drug offenders.

rgambs

people without safe levels of empathy should be isolated! i can imagine some "bleeding heart liberals" (im progressive as hell but these people do exist and we do credit to conservatives by denying it) going too far with rights to VIOLENT prisoners, but i sympathize somewhat. isolation is practical, even necessary, to protect inmates and guards, but torture for it's own sake steps into that area of tainting society as a whole. humane conditions can still be pretty spartan, and i can live with that. i do agree that any concession given a person like Gacy can feel like a luxury but again there is the "lowering to his level" idea.

PJ_Soul

I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm with Byrnzie on this one.

Thirty Bills Unpaid

PJ_Soul said:

I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm with Byrnzie on this one.

I'm opposed to him on this issue, but one could do a lot worse than siding with Byrnzie on current affairs.

He is a little judgemental on 'too-cool-for-school' guys in China yapping loudly on their cell phones when entering a pub.

Byrnzie

Thirty Bills Unpaid said:

PJ_Soul said:

I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm with Byrnzie on this one.

I'm opposed to him on this issue, but one could do a lot worse than siding with Byrnzie on current affairs.

He is a little judgemental on 'too-cool-for-school' guys in China yapping loudly on their cell phones when entering a pub.

]

Byrnzie

rgambs said:

i think solitary confinement is the "middle way"
do a little research into the effect it has on the brain and you may come to see it as a heinous punishment that fits many heinous crimes!
i also think solitary should be reserved for the worst and most dangerous criminals and we should stop filling our prisons with minor drug offenders.

Amazing piece of writing here from a prisoner who's experienced solitary first-hand. Do yourself a favour and read it: http://solitarywatch.com/2013/03/11/voices-from-solitary-a-sentence-worse-than-death/

pdalowsky

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-26273051

rgambs

good article byrnzie! i know all about solitary confinement, i have personally witnessed the slow, eternal torture of a solitarily confined prisoner. if you look back through this thread you will remember that i have said several times this is worse than death and that's why i would only willingly accept this for the most heinous and continually dangerous offenders.

Thirty Bills Unpaid

pdalowsky said:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-26273051

There should be no racial bias with regards to seeking and attaining the DP. There is though and this fact reflects exactly how far society still has to grow. The nature of the crime(s) should be the major determinant whether or not execution should stand as the punishment.

Interestingly, if you look back at the cases I introduced and profiled that demand execution given the nature of them, not one of the murderers was white.

As far as Ault (?) feeling remorseful for 'pulling the switch'... this is understandable and likely very normal. The criminals we are forced to deal with leave many 'victims' in their wake. I would imagine there are plenty of police, emergency attendants, lawyers, clerks, judges, jurors and all sorts of others (not to mention the families) who are haunted by things they have been forced to witness as we work our way through the hand some sick bastard has forced us to play.

Bronx Bombers

BONNE TERRE, Mo. — A Missouri inmate was executed early Wednesday for abducting, raping and killing a Kansas City teenager as she waited for her school bus in 1989, marking the state's fourth lethal injection in as many months.

Michael Taylor, 47, was pronounced dead at 12:10 a.m. at the state prison in Bonne Terre. Federal courts and the governor had refused last-minute appeals from his attorneys, who argued that the execution drug purchased from a compounding pharmacy could have caused Taylor inhuman pain and suffering.

Taylor offered no final statement, although he mouthed silent words to his parents, clergymen and other relatives who witnessed his death. As the process began, he took two deep breaths before closing his eyes for the last time. There were no obvious signs of distress.

His victim, 15-year-old Ann Harrison, was in her driveway, carrying her school books, flute and purse, when Taylor and Roderick Nunley abducted her. The men pulled her into their stolen car and drove her to a home, where they raped and fatally stabbed her as she pleaded for her life. Nunley was also sentenced to death.

Ann's father and two of her uncles witnessed Taylor's execution. They declined to make a public statement.

In their appeals, Taylor's attorneys questioned Missouri's use of an unnamed compounding pharmacy to provide the execution drug, pentobarbital. They also cited concerns about the state executing inmates before appeals were complete and argued that Taylor's original trial attorney was so overworked that she encouraged him to plead guilty.

After using a three-drug execution method for years, Missouri switched late last year to pentobarbital. The same drug had been used in three earlier Missouri executions, and state officials said none of those inmates showed outward signs of distress.

Still, attorneys for Taylor said using a drug from a compounding pharmacy, which unlike large pharmaceutical companies are not regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, runs the risk of causing pain and suffering during the execution.

The Oklahoma-based compounding pharmacy Apothecary Shoppe agreed last week that it wouldn't supply the pentobarbital for Taylor's execution, forcing Missouri to find a new supplier. Attorney General Chris Koster's office said a new provider had been found, but Koster refused to name the pharmacy, citing the state's execution protocol that allows the manufacturer anonymity.

Taylor's attorneys said use of the drug without naming the compounding pharmacy could cause the inmate pain and suffering because no one could check if the operation was legitimate and had not been accused of any violations.

Pete Edlund doesn't want to hear it. The retired Kansas City police detective led the investigation into the teenager's death.

"Cruel and unusual punishment would be if we killed them the same way they killed Annie Harrison," Edlund said. "Get a damn rope, string them up, put them in the gas chamber. Whatever it takes."

Ann stepped out of her home the morning of March 22, 1989, to wait in her driveway for her school bus.

Authorities said Nunley and Taylor, then in their early 20s, drove past in a car they had stolen after a night of binging on crack cocaine. One of the men jumped out of the car and grabbed Ann, forcing her into the vehicle. Both claimed the other did it.

The men drove to the home of Nunley's mother. Ann was forced into the basement and raped — DNA testing linked Taylor to the crime. Afraid she would be able to identify them, the men used kitchen knives to stab the girl 10 times, including in her throat and torso, as she begged for her life.

She offered money if they would let her live. She died about 30 minutes later, according to the medical examiner.

The stolen car was then driven to a nearby neighborhood and abandoned, with Ann's body in the trunk. She was found the next day. But the crime went unsolved for about six months until a $10,000 reward led to a tip, and Taylor and Nunley were both arrested, Edlund said. Both pleaded guilty and were sentenced to death.

The case left even veteran officers traumatized, Edlund said.

"She just turned 15," the retired detective said. "It was a tragedy all the way around. This was an innocent child."

http://bostonherald.com/news_opinion/national/midwest/2014/02/missouri_executes_man_in_89_rape_killing_of_teen

Linda Taylor, Michael Taylor's mother, issued a statement with other family members stating Taylor has great remorse for his crime. The family does not want to see Taylor executed and Linda Taylor has said that life in prison should be sufficient punishment.

Janel Harrison, mother of Ann Harrison, said the execution is needed justice for her daughter.

"There should be an ultimate penalty," Harrison said. =D>

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/convicted-killer-presses-appeals-missouri-prepares-execution-article-1.1700991#ixzz2uSPzUR2f

Good riddance hopefully Missouri moves forward with this 25 years is a joke he should've been put down years ago

JEFFERSON CITY - If you kidnap your victim in Missouri and kill them, your execution could be put on the fast track.

Sen. Dan Brown is proposing legislation intended that would limit extensions for appeals, and the Missouri Supreme Court would need to hear arguments in a case within six months of submission of the last written argument. The high court would have another six months to issue its decision.

The measure also would require the court to issue a warrant to carry out the execution no more than 10 days after the defendant’s state and federal appeals have ended.

http://stlouis.cbslocal.com/2014/02/26/mo-senator-proposes-execution-bill/

Thirty Bills Unpaid

If people would not kidnap, rape, and murder children, the world would be a better place.

I agree with the retired cop that said 'cruel and unusual' would be to offer them what they offered their victim.

Bronx Bombers

Thirty Bills Unpaid said:

I agree with the retired cop that said 'cruel and unusual' would be to offer them what they offered their victim.

Unfortunately more people seemed concerned with protecting the people that commit these acts than they are with the victims of these crimes.

Thirty Bills Unpaid

I'm beginning to think that some of these people are right: prison is way worse than being executed and murderers do eventually understand the significance of their crimes and become remorseful.

For example, Anders Brievek, Norway's mass murdering fiend is being tortured right now because the prison won't upgrade his PS2 to a PS3, he doesn't get adult games to play, and he wants contact with the outside world.

Good for him though, if he doesn't get it, he'll go on a hunger strike. This should motivate the bleeding hearts excessively concerned for the murderer of 77 children and then the torture will likely end for him.




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'Having an old Playstation is NOT torture': Norwegian police throw out bizarre claim by mass murderer Anders Breivik about his treatment in jail

By Sarah Michael
02:24 25 Feb 2014, updated 10:22 25 Feb 2014
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Far-right terrorist Anders Breivik's complaints over daily body searches and lack of activities dismissed by police
Mass murderer who killed 77 in Norway in 2011 wanted better video games and unmonitored contact with the outside world
Breivik sent letter to anti-torture watchdog and media outlets claiming he has penned a book that is being censored by prison authorities
Police in Norway have rejected a complaint by mass murderer Anders Breivik that his treatment in jail amounted to 'serious torture'.

The far-right terrorist who killed 77 people in a bombing and mass shooting on July 22, 2011, filed a formal complaint against the Norwegian Minister of Justice and a prison director, in which he said his daily body searches and outdated video games were equal to 'aggravated torture'.

The complaint filed in January last year was examined by police but a preliminary investigation was closed on Monday according to police commissioner Ingrid Wirum.

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Convicted mass murderer Anders Breivik, 35, has had his claims that he is being 'tortured' in jail rejected by police
+6
In this letter sent to media outlets Breivik complained he was being subjected to 'torture' because he had to play outdated video games and undergo daily body searches
‘On this basis we have concluded that neither the prison in Ila nor the people mentioned in the complaint are guilty of any wrongdoing,’ Ms Wirum told AFP.

Lawyer Tord Jordet told AFP his client Breivik ‘was not surprised’ by the decision, The Local reported.

‘He noted that the case has been closed despite significant documentation which demonstrates the violation of European prison regulations and human rights,’ Mr Jordet said.

MORE...
Breivik hunger strike threat: wants bigger gym
Mass killer Anders Breivik apologised to his mother for ruining her life according to controversial new biography about her
‘It does not seem that the police wanted to investigate thoroughly.’

Breivik, who is serving a 21-year sentence, has repeatedly threatened to go on hunger strikes in protest of his treatment in prison.

In a letter received by various media outlets last month, which was sent to prison authorities in November 2013, the right-wing extremist detailed 12 demands including the right to communicate more freely with the outside world and access to a computer rather than a typewriter.

Breivik, who was recently moved from the Ila prison outside Olso to the Telemark prison in Skien, also demanded that his Playstation 2 be upgraded to a PS3 and that he be given ‘access to more adult games that I get to choose myself’.

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The exterior of Ila prison near Olso where Breivik complained of harsh treatment. The convicted killer has been moved to the Telemark prison in Skien
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Library facilities at the Ila prison where Breivik served part of his 21-year sentence for the murder of 77 people in 2011. The right-wing extremist says he has written a book providing new details about his bombing and mass shooting but prison authorities have refused to release it
‘Other inmates have access to adult games while I only have the right to play less interesting kids games. One example is "Rayman Revolution", a game aimed at three year olds,’ Breivik wrote.

Breivik also asked for an armchair to replace his ‘painful’ chair, his weekly allowance of 300 kroner (£30) to be doubled and his mail to cease being monitored and censored by the jail.

‘You've put me in hell ... and I won't manage to survive that long. You are killing me,’ the convicted killer wrote.

‘If I die, all of Europe's right-wing extremists will know exactly who it was that tortured me to death ... That could have consequences for certain individuals in the short term but also when Norway is once again ruled by a fascist regime in 13 to 40 years from now.’

In the letter, which was also sent to Norway’s anti-torture watchdog, the mass murderer also claimed to have written a book which is he is unable to send to a publisher.

According to Breivik’s lawyer Mr Jordet the more than 1000-page book gives fresh details on the planning on his 2011 bombing and shooting rampage as well as reasons for the attacks.Breivik murdered eight people when he bombed the outside of a government building in Oslo and massacred another 69 people at a youth camp on the island of Utoya.

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A memorial overlooking the island of Utoya where 69 people, mostly teenagers, were killed by right-wing terrorist Breivik in a shooting spree.

Published by Associated Newspapers Ltd
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Bronx Bombers

So he gets 21 years a Ps2 and an allowance that's some punishment for killing 77 people.

Thirty Bills Unpaid

Bronx Bombers said:

So he gets 21 years a Ps2 and an allowance that's some punishment for killing 77 people.

Oh yeah. I forgot about the allowance.

Thirty Bills Unpaid

Canada obviously has the best rehabilitation program.

Just 6 years after beheading and eating a fellow passenger on a bus, Vince Li is granted unescorted trips into Selkirk. I'm not sure if there are any 10C members that live in Selkirk, but if there are... make sure to say "Hi" and congratulate Li on his successful recovery from a deranged lunatic while he's hanging out in your city!

Thursday's ruling by the Criminal Code Review Board means Vince Li will be on his own in public for the first time since he stabbed Tim McLean and then ate parts of his body six years ago.

The board granted Li all the new freedoms his psychiatric team had requested at a hearing earlier this week. Lead psychiatrist Dr. Steven Kremer said Li, a schizophrenic, has stopped experiencing delusions and is a model, non-violent patient.

Read more: http://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/man-who-beheaded-bus-passenger-gets-unescorted-trips-from-hospital-1.1707209#ixzz2uonO0651

The victim's mother is distraught, but who gives a shit? She should just get over it. This is all about fast-tracking a guy into mainstream society.

Instead of the supervised outings Li had been granted previously, he will be allowed unescorted trips from the Selkirk Mental Health Centre into the nearby city of Selkirk. The visits, to begin next Thursday, are to start at 30 minutes and increase to full days.

As well, Li’s supervision on outings to other communities —Winnipeg, Lockport and nearby beaches — will be relaxed. He is to be part of a group without a staff member dedicated to monitoring him.

Li is also to be moved to an unlocked ward at the hospital from the secure wing where he has been kept.

For McLean’s mother, the changes were an outrage.

“We’re not surprised. We’re very disappointed, embarrassed, ashamed,” Carol DeDelley said.

“I ultimately do not believe that when you take a life, you have the right to freedom any longer.”


http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/man-who-beheaded-bus-passenger-in-manitoba-wins-right-to-unescorted-trips/article17140007/

chadwick

........................................................,mnbgvf

Bronx Bombers said:

BONNE TERRE, Mo. — A Missouri inmate was executed early Wednesday for abducting, raping and killing a Kansas City teenager as she waited for her school bus in 1989, marking the state's fourth lethal injection in as many months.

Michael Taylor, 47, was pronounced dead at 12:10 a.m. at the state prison in Bonne Terre. Federal courts and the governor had refused last-minute appeals from his attorneys, who argued that the execution drug purchased from a compounding pharmacy could have caused Taylor inhuman pain and suffering.

Taylor offered no final statement, although he mouthed silent words to his parents, clergymen and other relatives who witnessed his death. As the process began, he took two deep breaths before closing his eyes for the last time. There were no obvious signs of distress.

His victim, 15-year-old Ann Harrison, was in her driveway, carrying her school books, flute and purse, when Taylor and Roderick Nunley abducted her. The men pulled her into their stolen car and drove her to a home, where they raped and fatally stabbed her as she pleaded for her life. Nunley was also sentenced to death.

Ann's father and two of her uncles witnessed Taylor's execution. They declined to make a public statement.

In their appeals, Taylor's attorneys questioned Missouri's use of an unnamed compounding pharmacy to provide the execution drug, pentobarbital. They also cited concerns about the state executing inmates before appeals were complete and argued that Taylor's original trial attorney was so overworked that she encouraged him to plead guilty.

After using a three-drug execution method for years, Missouri switched late last year to pentobarbital. The same drug had been used in three earlier Missouri executions, and state officials said none of those inmates showed outward signs of distress.

Still, attorneys for Taylor said using a drug from a compounding pharmacy, which unlike large pharmaceutical companies are not regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, runs the risk of causing pain and suffering during the execution.

The Oklahoma-based compounding pharmacy Apothecary Shoppe agreed last week that it wouldn't supply the pentobarbital for Taylor's execution, forcing Missouri to find a new supplier. Attorney General Chris Koster's office said a new provider had been found, but Koster refused to name the pharmacy, citing the state's execution protocol that allows the manufacturer anonymity.

Taylor's attorneys said use of the drug without naming the compounding pharmacy could cause the inmate pain and suffering because no one could check if the operation was legitimate and had not been accused of any violations.

Pete Edlund doesn't want to hear it. The retired Kansas City police detective led the investigation into the teenager's death.

"Cruel and unusual punishment would be if we killed them the same way they killed Annie Harrison," Edlund said. "Get a damn rope, string them up, put them in the gas chamber. Whatever it takes."

Ann stepped out of her home the morning of March 22, 1989, to wait in her driveway for her school bus.

Authorities said Nunley and Taylor, then in their early 20s, drove past in a car they had stolen after a night of binging on crack cocaine. One of the men jumped out of the car and grabbed Ann, forcing her into the vehicle. Both claimed the other did it.

The men drove to the home of Nunley's mother. Ann was forced into the basement and raped — DNA testing linked Taylor to the crime. Afraid she would be able to identify them, the men used kitchen knives to stab the girl 10 times, including in her throat and torso, as she begged for her life.

She offered money if they would let her live. She died about 30 minutes later, according to the medical examiner.

The stolen car was then driven to a nearby neighborhood and abandoned, with Ann's body in the trunk. She was found the next day. But the crime went unsolved for about six months until a $10,000 reward led to a tip, and Taylor and Nunley were both arrested, Edlund said. Both pleaded guilty and were sentenced to death.

The case left even veteran officers traumatized, Edlund said.

"She just turned 15," the retired detective said. "It was a tragedy all the way around. This was an innocent child."

http://bostonherald.com/news_opinion/national/midwest/2014/02/missouri_executes_man_in_89_rape_killing_of_teen

Linda Taylor, Michael Taylor's mother, issued a statement with other family members stating Taylor has great remorse for his crime. The family does not want to see Taylor executed and Linda Taylor has said that life in prison should be sufficient punishment.

Janel Harrison, mother of Ann Harrison, said the execution is needed justice for her daughter.

"There should be an ultimate penalty," Harrison said. =D>

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/convicted-killer-presses-appeals-missouri-prepares-execution-article-1.1700991#ixzz2uSPzUR2f

Good riddance hopefully Missouri moves forward with this 25 years is a joke he should've been put down years ago

JEFFERSON CITY - If you kidnap your victim in Missouri and kill them, your execution could be put on the fast track.

Sen. Dan Brown is proposing legislation intended that would limit extensions for appeals, and the Missouri Supreme Court would need to hear arguments in a case within six months of submission of the last written argument. The high court would have another six months to issue its decision.

The measure also would require the court to issue a warrant to carry out the execution no more than 10 days after the defendant’s state and federal appeals have ended.

http://stlouis.cbslocal.com/2014/02/26/mo-senator-proposes-execution-bill/

these two fucking scumbags should have been executed years ago. but... good on missouri for finally stepping up & stopping a twisted sick monster's heart. when did the other guy get offed or is he still breathing?

that poor little girl went through hell.

hedonist

Thirty Bills,

The relaxing on Li's "oversight" outrages me too - as an understatement...so I can only imagine what Mrs. McLean must feel.

Not only does it piss me off, but I simply cannot grasp the mindsets of those - those WHO DECIDE THIS SHIT no less - who think this is a good thing.

No risk at all!

Everything's fine, folks.

We're rooting for ol' Vince here, so you all just move along.

Byrnzie

http://www.democracynow.org/2014/3/5/the_death_penalty_is_a_hate


"The Death Penalty is a Hate Crime": Bob Autobee Speaks Out to Spare Life of Son’s Killer
Democracy Now!
Wednesday, March 5, 2014

We are joined by Bob Autobee, a Colorado resident who is opposing the death penalty for the prisoner who killed his son Eric, a prison guard, in 2002. During the original trial, Autobee supported a death sentence for Edward Montour. But the Colorado Supreme Court threw out Montour’s sentence in 2007 because it was imposed by a judge, not a jury as is required. A decade later, Autobee has now changed his mind. In the new murder trial that begins today, he wants to make a victim’s statement to the jury asking them not to impose the death penalty — but the judge in the case has barred him from doing so. Autobee describes why he opposes the death penalty in this case, and why he wants to see it abolished overall. "You’ve got to be willing to heal, and you’ve got to let the hate go," Autobee says. "To me the death penalty is a hate crime, a crime against humanity." We are also joined by Democracy Now! producer and criminal justice correspondent Renée Feltz, who notes that 80 percent of Colorado voters actually passed a constitutional amendment in 1992 that enshrines the rights of victims to make a statement in cases like Autobee’s.

NERMEEN SHAIKH: We turn now to Colorado, where a trial set to begin today has drawn attention to the state’s ongoing debate about its use of the death penalty. The case involves a prison inmate named Edward Montour, who is accused of beating a prison guard named Eric Autobee to death in 2002. Montour pled guilty to the murder and was convicted. But the state’s Supreme Court threw out his death sentence in 2007 because it was imposed by a judge, and not a jury, as is required. Now the case is back in court. This time the killer is pleading not guilty by reason of insanity, and the victim’s father, who wanted to seek the "ultimate punishment" in the original trial, has had a change of heart.

AMY GOODMAN: During a meeting with prosecutors, Bob Autobee asked them to spare the life of his son’s killer, but to no avail. In a surprising move, they have not only decided to pursue another death sentence, they’ve also succeeded in blocking Autobee from making a victim’s statement to the jury that expresses his request for a life sentence. Last week, the judge in the case ruled, quote, "The Autobees may testify about the emotional impact of a death sentence or a life sentence ... However, the Autobees will not be allowed to testify about what sentence the jury should impose."

For more, we turn to Bob Autobee. He’s joining us from Denver, just before he goes to the trial today. We’re also joined by Democracy Now! producer and criminal justice correspondent, Renée Feltz.

Bob Autobee, welcome to Democracy Now! How is it—

BOB AUTOBEE: Thank you. Good morning.

AMY GOODMAN: Can you explain how, in your victim’s statement, you’re not allowed to say what you want to say?

BOB AUTOBEE: Well, there’s been concern from the beginning when I started picketing that I could taint the jury. But this trial has already been tainted numerous times. And I feel I have as much right to speak as the DA or the defense.

NERMEEN SHAIKH: Well, let’s go to part of the video recording from when you met with your son’s killer, Edward Montour, this past December, along with a moderator who’s trained in the method of restorative justice. This clip begins with Edward Montour apologizing to you.

EDWARD MONTOUR: One thing I would like to say, before we go further, is that I am deeply, deeply sorry for the pain I caused you and your family for killing your son. I had no right. I had no right. And I am very humbled by you forgiving me. And I want to thank you for that, because you didn’t have to. And I’m not sure if I would have the courage to do what you’re doing. You’re a good man. And I want to thank you for this opportunity.

BOB AUTOBEE: I appreciate that. I wasn’t always a good man. You know, this isn’t just about me and you, because Eric’s right here. My son’s over there. My wife is at home. She said she couldn’t—she couldn’t be in the same room with you. But she forgives you. My son has forgiven you. I have forgiven you. And so—and I’m sure Eric has forgiven you. I see an opportunity here, an opportunity to make something positive out of my son’s death. And you’re a part of it. We’re all a part of that. When your trial starts in January, I told him, "I’ll be at the courthouse, but I’ll be outside picketing, because I don’t believe it’s justice." The death penalty would not bring me any satisfaction.

....

AMY GOODMAN: You were a corrections officer yourself, and your son, of course, Eric, was a prison guard. That’s where Edward Montour killed him.

BOB AUTOBEE: That’s correct.

NERMEEN SHAIKH: And you said this experience has made you very critical of the prison system and the penal system, in general. Could you talk about what specific changes you’ve been advocating in the Colorado prison system?

BOB AUTOBEE: Well, we’ve asked—we suggested focus groups from the staff, because the management has refused to listen to the people that are in the trenches, and so a lot of things get by that management doesn’t know anything about. We’d also—we suggested different colored jumpsuits for the inmates, so violent offenders could be recognized immediately, because right now in Colorado we have violent and maximum-security inmates in medium-security facilities where they have no business. And unless you’ve read every jacket of every inmate, you don’t know what they’re in there for. So, I think the different colored uniforms would help. We’ve even suggested dogs to go on patrol with the officers, rather than leaving them by themselves. There’s a lot of things that could be done, but the administration refuses to listen.

AMY GOODMAN: Renée?

RENÉE FELTZ: I wanted to suggest that Bob describe what he did in January, which was very interesting. He went to protest against the death penalty in this case outside of the courtroom, when he wasn’t quite sure if he would be allowed to make a statement inside. And, Bob, could you talk about what—who joined you? There were other victims of murder, families, that were with you for that protest, is that right? Can you talk about what you did and who joined you?

BOB AUTOBEE: That’s correct. When I met with Brauchler at my home, I told him that if he pursued the death penalty, that I would fight it, and I would picket—

RENÉE FELTZ: And that’s the prosecutor in the case.

BOB AUTOBEE: Yes. And I’ve been picketing. And then Tim Ricard, the husband of Mary Ricard, the second officer that was killed in Colorado recently, he’s also anti-death penalty, and we’ve been working together. We had a survivor from one of the victims of Nathan Dunlap, was also involved. And I met with the mother of that young lady, and we had a wonderful talk, and hope I was able to help her understand, you know, you’ve got to be willing to heal, and you’ve got to let the hate go. I mean, to me, the death penalty is a hate crime, and it’s a crime against humanity. And once you come to this side and see it for what it really is, then you’ll know you’re doing the right thing.