Accused murderers are 4.3 times more likely to be sentenced to death if their victims are white, according to Stephen W. Hawkins, executive director of the National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty.
Hawkins spoke at a meeting of the Jefferson Literary and Debating Society Friday night, expressing his view that the death penalty should be abolished because it is racially and economically discriminatory and is influenced by political motives.
Hawkins has represented people facing the death sentence in state, federal and military courts across the country, including journalist Mumia Abu-Jamal, whose case has drawn international attention.
Abu-Jamal, a member of the Black Panthers, is accused of killing a police officer in 1981 and has been on death row for 15 years. Citing an unfair trial and insufficient evidence, supporters of Abu-Jamal have staged demonstrations worldwide calling for his release.
Hawkins said he believes death row inmates are selected as a result of what he deems the "three evils": race discrimination, poverty and political agendas.
While statistics indicate the majority of homicides involve people of the same race, most death row inmates are minorities who have killed whites, he said.
He added that because death row inmates are predominately poor, they usually do not have access to effective legal aid during their trials.
"Are these the worst people, or do they have the worst lawyers?" Hawkins asked.
He said a lack of quality legal defense increases the probability that a defendant will be given a death sentence. He added that 95 percent of death row inmates could not afford an attorney and were provided inexperienced lawyers by the state.
Hawkins said having a rookie lawyer defend someone accused of capital murder is "like needing brain surgery and getting a chiropractor."
Politicians often may advocate the death penalty to appeal to voters who feel protected by it, he said.
"The justice system is much more a part of the political system," he added.
Hawkins also condemned Virginia's 21-day rule, which prohibits the admission of new evidence in a trial 21 days after sentencing.
"What kind of society are we that will not allow evidence to be heard after the 22nd day?" he said.
Since people who adamantly are opposed to the death penalty are not permitted to sit on juries, "juries too often do not represent a full range of views" and are therefore a barrier to justice, he added.
Hawkins also decried the use of both the electric chair and lethal injection, labeling them as inhumane.
"There is no polite way to kill people," he said.
He added that most death row inmates become somewhat reformed by the time they are executed.
"There are people who sit on death row who could make contributions to society," Hawkins said.
Of the 500 people released from death row after the death penalty was overturned in 1972 (before its reinstatement in 1976), only one went on to commit another homicide, he said.
Two now are tenured college professors, he added.
Hawkins estimated that 20 percent of the people on death row are mentally impaired.
He cited a case in which a Vietnam veteran suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder was praised for his valor during the war shortly before his execution.
"One year he gets the Purple Heart, the next year he gets the lethal injection," he added.
Hawkins said he is encouraged by the fact that there has been "more discussion than ever" about the death penalty.
Several city and state bar associations have voted for a moratorium on capital punishment, and Attorney General Janet Reno recently recommended that DNA evidence be introduced into a trial whenever it is available.
Hawkins said the United States is one of only six countries in the world that executes juvenile offenders.
The other five are Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Yemen and Nigeria, he said.
As long as the United States continues to implement the death penalty, "we live in a society where there are throw-away people," Hawkins said.
John Finley, Jefferson Society Room 7 resident, said about 75 students attended the event.
"It was absolutely fascinating," Finley said.
He said he was "very happy with the turnout and the crowd's reaction ... people couldn't get enough of" Hawkins.
(Cavalier Daily Associate Editor Margaret Chipowsky contributed to this article.)
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