| Scripture, cost and bias justify ban on death penalty BY CATHY KNEPPER  As I entered the sanctuary for the Ash Wednesday service at St. Pauls UMC in Kensington, I was startled to be given a stone along with the worship bulletin. The Rev. David Argos meditation, titled What Do We Do with These Stones?, featured several Bible passages I often use in my work to abolish the death penalty.
John 7:53-8:11 tells of a woman brought before Jesus and charged with adultery, for which the punishment was death by stoning. Jesus replied, Let the one who is without sin cast the first stone. Argo also mentioned passages in the Hebrew Scriptures, such as whoever curses his mother or father shall be put to death. This included the sentence for someone who commits adultery. (If anyone thinks this punishment is archaic, Nigeria recently sentenced a woman charged with adultery to death by stoning.)  Argo did not include the well-known passage an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, which is frequently alluded to by death penalty supporters, because his meditation focused on forgiveness. But frequently, when I am speaking on the death penalty for Amnesty International, all of these Bible passages are brought up, illustrating the gamut of feelings regarding capital punishment in America today.
Of course, when I talk with people I am able to utilize a variety of arguments. The financial cost of the death penalty versus a sentence of life in prison without parole should not really play a part in such a momentous decision. However, in these days of state budget difficulties, it may be useful to note that, according to the Maryland Court of Appeals, it is estimated to cost about $400,000 per person more to execute someone than to keep them in prison for life. The issue of bias is important. Two recent studies, one by James Liebman of Columbia University and another by Ray Paternoster of the University of Maryland, concurred in finding tremendous racial and geographic bias in Maryland. If you live in Baltimore County, are found guilty of a capital murder, are black and convicted of killing a white, you are astronomically more likely to receive a death sentence than if you were tried in any other jurisdiction or if your victim was not white. In addition to race and geography, the defendants ability to pay for a good lawyer is very important; wealthy people are never found on death row. The risk of killing an innocent person recently spurred Marylands attorney general, Joseph Curran, to declare that Maryland should abolish the death penalty. His concern is not merely theoretical. Kirk Bloodsworth, given a death sentence in our state, spent nine years in prison for a crime he did not commit and was released only because he convinced a competent attorney of his innocence. Since I represent Amnesty International, a worldwide, grassroots human rights organization, I feel a need to point out that the only countries that execute more people than the United States are China, Iran and Saudi Arabia. No other western, industrialized nation even has capital punishment. For my personal gbwc_superuserance I go to Romans 12:14-21, where Paul tells us Repay no one evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God ... Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. For more information on the death penalty in the United States, see the Web site amnestyusa.org. The Maryland legislature recently rejected a moratorium on the death penalty. For Maryland information see www.mdcase.org. Cathy D. Knepper is a member of St. Pauls UMC in Kensington. To receive an e-mail update about how capital punishment fared in this years Maryland legislative session, please contact the author at
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