THIS IS AMERICA - Death Sentences in U.S. at Their Lowest Le

THIS IS AMERICA - Death Sentences in U.S. at Their Lowest Level Since 1976
By Jerilyn Watson

Broadcast: Monday, May 09, 2005

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

Welcome to This is America in VOA Special English. I'm Bob Doughty¹.

VOICE TWO:

And I'm Faith Lapidus. Our subject this week is capital punishment in the United States.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

 
 
Thirty-eight of the fifty American states permit execution for murder and other capital crimes. These are the most serious offense². Some federal crimes are also punishable by death.

The Death Penalty Information Center in Washington, D.C., notes that executions have decreased. The center says fifty-nine prisoners were executed last year. That was down from ninety-eight executions in nineteen ninety-nine.

Because of legal appeals, executions are usually carried out long after a prisoner is sentenced to death. The N-double-A-C-P Legal Defense³ Fund reported last month on the number of death sentences in two thousand four. The group says there were one hundred twenty-five death sentences, the lowest number since nineteen seventy-six.

Nineteen seventy-six was the year when the United States Supreme⁴ Court renewed the right of states to use capital punishment.

VOICE TWO:

There are some new restrictions⁵, though. In March the Supreme Court ruled against death sentences for young offenders⁶. Five of the nine justices agreed that the death penalty for people under the age of eighteen violates the Constitution. The majority said the same is true for people whose crimes took place when they were under that age.

VOICE ONE:

The Supreme Court said capital punishment for young offenders violates the Eighth Amendment⁷ to the Constitution. This amendment bars cruel and unusual punishment.

Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote the opinion for the majority. Justice Kennedy said it would be "morally misguided" to equate⁸ the failings of a young person with those of an adult. He said a young person has a better chance of reform.

VOICE TWO:

 
United States Supreme Court in Washington, D.C.
In two thousand two the Supreme Court ruled that execution of the mentally disabled is unconstitutional.

And, later this year, the court will consider still another case about the death penalty. This one involves a man in the state of Oregon named Randy Lee Guzek. He was put on trial and found guilty in two murders.

At the time of his sentencing, he tried to show new evidence that he said would prove his innocence¹⁰. The trial court refused to accept it. On appeal, the Oregon Supreme Court ruled that the lower court was wrong to exclude the evidence.

State officials in Oregon disagree with the state Supreme Court ruling. They are now appealing the decision to the United States Supreme Court.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

Some people would like the United States Supreme Court to ban all executions. Opponents of the death penalty say capital punishment can be administered unfairly. For example, they say blacks are more likely to be sentenced to death than whites for similar crimes.

Opponents say economics play a part. Courts provide a lawyer if a suspect does not have enough money. But the opponents say avoiding a death sentence may depend on the ability to get a good lawyer. It may also depend on where a crime happens.

Since nineteen seventy-six, more than nine hundred people have been executed in the United States. More than eighty percent of these executions have happened in ten states. The highest rates are in the South, the lowest are in the Northeast.

Texas has executed more than one-third of those put to death. Last year Texas courts condemned¹¹ twenty-three more people. But that was down from forty-three death sentences in nineteen ninety-four.

Ten of the thirty-eight states with capital punishment had no death sentences last year.

Opponents say capital punishment costs more than imprisoning¹² a person for life. The appeals process often continues for years. Opponents also note the risk that innocent people will be put to death by mistake. And they argue that fear of a death sentence does not stop criminals.

VOICE TWO:

The Criminal Justice Legal Foundation in Sacramento, California, supports capital punishment. The organization says its represents the interests of victims and citizens who obey the law. It says murderers sentenced to life in prison might escape. Or they might kill others while in prison.

The Criminal Justice Legal Foundation says the families of victims need to know that the killer¹³ of their loved one will also die. And the organization notes that the majority of Americans support capital punishment.

About two out of three people questioned for a Gallup Poll in two thousand four approved of execution for murderers. The Pew Research Center for the People and the Press reported similar results in two thousand three. But it noted¹⁴ a drop in support compared to the level in nineteen ninety-six. At that time, seventy-eight percent supported the death penalty.

VOICE ONE:

Another Gallup study showed that a growing number of Americans support another kind of punishment for murderers. That is, life in prison without the possibility of freedom.

But the Criminal Justice Legal Foundation argues that such sentences are undependable. It its words: "Distrust of future courts, governors and legislatures is one of the reasons for support of the death penalty."

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

 
Table for execution by poison injection
Most executions in the United States take place by poison injection or in the electric chair. The area of prison cells where the condemned are kept is called death row.

Researchers at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, have studied death row prisoners. They say at least one hundred fifteen men and women have been released from death rows in the United States since nineteen seventy three. New evidence saved their lives.

These days, new evidence may come from scientific developments such as the use of genetic¹⁵ material collected at crime scenes. Or it may come from simple hard work guided by a strong belief in someone's innocence.

VOICE ONE:

In nineteen ninety-eight, Northwestern University journalism¹⁶ students and their professor investigated the case of a condemned prisoner. Anthony Porter had spent sixteen years in prison. He was found guilty of killing¹⁷ two people in Chicago. A person who saw the crime identified him as the killer.

But the students and their professor discovered that Anthony Porter could not possibly have been responsible. The condemned man was released from death row.

VOICE TWO:

For many people, the debate over capital punishment involves religious issues. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops¹⁸ has started a campaign to end the death penalty. Earlier this year, a study by Zogby International showed that forty-eight percent of American Roman Catholics support capital punishment. This compares with sixty-eight percent in other research in two thousand one.

Pope John Paul the Second criticized capital punishment. John Paul said it should be used only in rare cases when society could not be defended in any other way. But United States Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, who is Catholic, argues that the Bible supports capital punishment.

VOICE ONE:

The use of capital punishment began in the earliest days of American history. But in nineteen seventy-two a ruling by the Supreme Court effectively banned executions. The justices said capital punishment was cruel and unusual the way the states enforced it. But the decision left open the possibility that the Supreme Court might rule on the issue again in the future.

Four years later, that is what the high court did. The court approved the right of states to make new laws permitting death sentences. Many states enacted²⁰ such laws. Their measures satisfied the Supreme Court requirements.

VOICE TWO:

Currently, twelve states and the District of Columbia do not have capital punishment.

Massachusetts, for example, has not executed anyone since nineteen forty-seven. But Governor Mitt¹⁹ Romney has proposed to renew the death penalty for some crimes. These include terrorism and murders involving torture or more than one victim.

Governor Romney has proposed rules designed to prevent innocent people from being sentenced to death. His proposal would permit execution only in cases where there is no possible question of guilt⁹.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

Our program was written by Jerilyn Watson and produced by Cynthia Kirk. Our recording²¹ engineer was Kelvin Fowler. I'm Bob Doughty.

VOICE TWO:

And I'm Faith Lapidus.  Please join us again next week for THIS IS AMERICA in VOA Special English.

(MUSIC)

1 doughty   

adj.勇猛的，坚强的

参考例句：

• Most of successful men have the characteristics of contumacy and doughty.绝大多数成功人士都有共同的特质：脾气倔强，性格刚强。
• The doughty old man battled his illness with fierce determination.坚强的老人用巨大毅力与疾病作斗争。

2 offense   

n.犯规，违法行为；冒犯，得罪

参考例句：

• I hope you will not take any offense at my words. 对我讲的话请别见怪。
• His words gave great offense to everybody present.他的发言冲犯了在场的所有人。

3 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

4 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

5 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

6 offenders   

n.冒犯者( offender的名词复数 )；犯规者；罪犯；妨害…的人（或事物）

参考例句：

• Long prison sentences can be a very effective deterrent for offenders. 判处长期徒刑可对违法者起到强有力的威慑作用。
• Purposeful work is an important part of the regime for young offenders. 使从事有意义的劳动是管理少年犯的重要方法。

7 amendment   

n.改正，修正，改善，修正案

参考例句：

• The amendment was rejected by 207 voters to 143.这项修正案以207票对143票被否决。
• The Opposition has tabled an amendment to the bill.反对党已经就该议案提交了一项修正条款。

8 equate   

v.同等看待，使相等

参考例句：

• You can't equate passing examination and being intelligent.你不能把考试及格看成是聪明。
• You cannot equate his poems with his plays.你不可以把他的诗歌和他的剧本相提并论。

9 guilt   

n.犯罪；内疚；过失，罪责

参考例句：

• She tried to cover up her guilt by lying.她企图用谎言掩饰自己的罪行。
• Don't lay a guilt trip on your child about schoolwork.别因为功课责备孩子而使他觉得很内疚。

10 innocence   

n.无罪；天真；无害

参考例句：

• There was a touching air of innocence about the boy.这个男孩有一种令人感动的天真神情。
• The accused man proved his innocence of the crime.被告人经证实无罪。

11 condemned   

adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He condemned the hypocrisy of those politicians who do one thing and say another. 他谴责了那些说一套做一套的政客的虚伪。
• The policy has been condemned as a regressive step. 这项政策被认为是一种倒退而受到谴责。

12 imprisoning   

v.下狱，监禁( imprison的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Mr Afwerki may disgust his compatriots by torturing and imprisoning his critics. Afwerki总统拷打和监禁他的反对者已经使的国人生厌。 来自互联网
• Proud and intelligent, it takes great pleasure and imprisoning enemies through psionic exploitation. 它骄傲并狡猾，非常喜欢囚禁敌人并剥夺他们的智力。 来自互联网

13 killer   

n.杀人者，杀人犯，杀手，屠杀者

参考例句：

• Heart attacks have become Britain's No.1 killer disease.心脏病已成为英国的头号致命疾病。
• The bulk of the evidence points to him as her killer.大量证据证明是他杀死她的。

14 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

15 genetic   

adj.遗传的，遗传学的

参考例句：

• It's very difficult to treat genetic diseases.遗传性疾病治疗起来很困难。
• Each daughter cell can receive a full complement of the genetic information.每个子细胞可以收到遗传信息的一个完全补偿物。

16 journalism   

n.新闻工作，报业

参考例句：

• He's a teacher but he does some journalism on the side.他是教师，可还兼职做一些新闻工作。
• He had an aptitude for journalism.他有从事新闻工作的才能。

17 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

18 bishops   

（基督教某些教派管辖大教区的）主教( bishop的名词复数 )； （国际象棋的）象

参考例句：

• Each player has two bishops at the start of the game. 棋赛开始时，每名棋手有两只象。
• "Only sheriffs and bishops and rich people and kings, and such like. “他劫富济贫，抢的都是郡长、主教、国王之类的富人。

19 mitt   

n.棒球手套，拳击手套，无指手套；vt.铐住，握手

参考例句：

• I gave him a baseball mitt for his birthday.为祝贺他的生日，我送给他一只棒球手套。
• Tom squeezed a mitt and a glove into the bag.汤姆把棒球手套和手套都塞进袋子里。

20 enacted   

制定（法律），通过（法案）( enact的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• legislation enacted by parliament 由议会通过的法律
• Outside in the little lobby another scene was begin enacted. 外面的小休息室里又是另一番景象。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹

21 recording   

n.录音，记录

参考例句：

• How long will the recording of the song take?录下这首歌得花多少时间？
• I want to play you a recording of the rehearsal.我想给你放一下彩排的录像。