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Get Involved with CADP
Coloradans for Alternatives to the Death Penalty
(CADP), formerly Coloradans Against the Death Penalty,
is a nonprofit organization dedicated
to making our justice system more effective
by establishing smart alternatives that abolish
capital punishment. We are concerned
citizens, religious leaders, political leaders,
criminal defense lawyers, and relatives of murder
victims. Subscribe
today to our free e-mail list.
On January 3, 2002, Juan Roberto Melendez, an
innocent man, was released from Florida's death
row after 17 years, eight months and one day. During
February 2010, Juan will be speaking in Colorado,
sponsored by CADP.
Please
join us to hear Juan speak about his experience
on Florida's death row. Then you decide if the
death penalty is worth executing even one innocent
person. (2/4/10, CADP)
Juan Melendez will be speaking at these CADP
events:
Henry Skinner is scheduled for execution in
Texas on February 24 despite the lack of DNA
testing of critical evidence from the crime scene
that could lead to his exoneration. ... The state
has repeatedly refused his request to test other
evidence, including material found on the victim,
that could point to another suspect. In addition,
an investigation by journalism students from
Northwestern University in 1999 and 2000 revealed
that a key witness from the trial had recanted
her testimony linking Skinner to the crime. Texas
has already executed a number of individuals
who may have been innocent, leaving a cloud of
doubt on the fairness of the criminal justice
system. By conducting relatively routine DNA
tests before his execution, the doubts surrounding
Skinner's case could be resolved one way or the
other. (2/8/10, DPIC Update)
As cash-strapped states consider the high cost
of sentencing prisoners to death, capital punishment
has fallen on hard times. In New Mexico, which
voted to abolish the death penalty last year,
State Rep. Gail Chasey (D., Albuquerque) specifically
noted the tax dollars that would be saved. “We
can put that money toward enhancing law enforcement,
public works, you name it,” she said. In
2009, 10 other states considered ending capital
punishment. In New Jersey, which halted executions
in 2007, a commission found that switching a
single condemned inmate’s sentence to life
without parole would save the state $1.3 million
in incarceration costs alone, because death-row
inmates receive special housing and security.
Repealing the death penalty in North Carolina,
where 169 prisoners are on death row, could save
that state $11 million a year in incarceration
costs and legal fees associated with the extensive
appeals process, according to a study published
in American Law and Economics Review in December.
(1/31/10, Parade Magazine)
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Make a social and fashion statement -
while helping Coloradans for Alternatives
to the Death Penalty. Wear a striking,
high-quality t-shirt that displays an important
educational message. Visit the CADP online store. |
CADP Benefit Concert Held January 16th
A lively, well-attended benefit
concert was held January 16, 2010 to raise
money and awareness to help Coloradans for
Alternatives to the Death Penalty. The Saturday
night concert at the Mercury Cafe in downtown
Denver featured Phoenix Rising, a band made
up of local attorneys and people from the legal
community. In addition to a strong rhythm section,
the band was comprised of horns and backup
singers. Music included classic R&B, a
segment of jaunty New Orleans tunes, and lots
of familar grooves that kept the large crowd
of all ages coming back to the dance floor.
A silent auction rounded out the CADP benefit.
(1/19/10, CADP)
Roy Brown, state senator and 2008 Republican
nominee for governor of Montana, said that opposition
to capital punishment aligns well with his conservative
ideology. He is reaching out to social and fiscal
conservatives, hoping to create a bipartisan
movement against capital punishment. Brown noted, "I believe
that life is precious from the womb to a natural death." He continued, "Criminals
should be prosecuted. I want it to be life without parole. In the long run, that's
much cheaper."
(2/1/10, DPIC Update)
CADP Changes its Name to Reflect Current Mission
In late 2009, CADP officially changed its name
to Coloradans for Alternatives to the Death Penalty.
CADP did this to help engage a larger percentage
of Colorado's population. CADP wants to be "for" something,
rather than "against." CADP also felt
that being "for alternatives" was more
descriptive of its current mission. With the
name change, CADP sends the message that the
organization is open to dialogue surrounding
the issues of capital punishment - and especially
that CADP stands for an improved, more fair,
and more effective justice system. While transitioning
to the new name, the older group name will still
show in historic pages and references throughout
this Web site. (12/26/09, CADP)
Take Action
Get involved
- see CADP's suggested actions against
the death penalty
Members of CADP are also available to speak
to your group about the death penalty, or its
effect on victims. To arrange for a free speaker, e-mail
info@coadp.org
Browse Other Recent Stories
Quote
"One is absolutely sickened, not by the
crimes that the wicked have committed, but
by the punishments that the good have inflicted."
-- Oscar Wilde
Join CADP or make a donation today to support
CADP. Help us educate the public, lobby for bills,
and work to abolish the death penalty in Colorado.
You can donate securely online - just click the
Donate to CADP button.
Subscribe to the CADP E-mail List
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