How to Attend a Death Penalty Trial
-- By
David Lindsey
Few acts to oppose capital punishment are
more powerful than attending a death penalty
trial.
Friendly Faces Send an Important Message
Friendly faces in the courtroom buoy
the spirits of the defense team who face
the day-to-day callousness of a system that
allows this arbitrary and barbaric punishment
to continue. Equally important, attendance
sends a message to the larger community that
opposition to the death penalty is wide-spread.
Sitting in silent support is eloquent in
itself, but being there presents a further
opportunity to engage members of the media
who often are limited to interviewing victims
and death-penalty supporters because the
defense team is under a gag order.
As powerful
as attendance is and though the Sixth Amendment
guarantees defendants' rights to a
public trial, days can go by in a death penalty
proceeding without a single attending citizen.
Coloradans Against the Death Penalty and
its allied organizations propose to remedy
this situation by alerting members when
and where death penalty trials occur.
Here's All You Need to Know
For
first timers ready and willing to lend support
here are some things to keep in mind:
- Courthouses screen for metal at entrances
and that may happen again in the courtroom.
Do not be intimidated by this process;
in general, the security screeners are
professional and courteous.
- There is usually ample seating in the
gallery of the courtroom, with the possible
exception of opening and closing arguments
and the return of the verdict. Simply sitting
on the side of the defendant speaks volumes.
By doing that, everyone knows you are there
to support the defendant and it's
a good way to voice opposition to the death
penalty without saying a word.
- Because trial witnesses aren't
allowed to view proceedings, you may occasionally
be asked who you are. Simply say, "I'm
a concerned citizen and I want to watch
the trial."
- You may come and go as you wish, but
wait for times when leaving won't
disrupt court proceedings. Some parts of
these trials are exciting and engrossing,
others are boring and tedious.
- Dress should reflect a respect for the
dignity and solemn proceedings of the
criminal justice system. Symbols of death-penalty
opposition should not be brought into
the courtroom. Even outside the courtroom,
where jurors might be taking a break, be
mindful not to do anything that could
be seen or overheard by a juror in the
case. Members of the media may be approached,
however.
Changing Perceptions Through Action
Attendance at death penalty trials will
provide invaluable information to opponents
of capital punishment; they will be better-educated
citizens, and better advocates for abolition.
On a broader level, though opposition to
the death penalty is widespread in Colorado,
that opposition is not evident in the courtrooms
of this state, leading to the perception
that abolitionists aren't committed
to their cause. It is time to change that
perception and turn our principles into action.
