The most recent edi­tion of The Angolite, the nation’s largest prison news mag­a­zine, con­tains an arti­cle detail­ing nation­al death penal­ty trends and devel­op­ments. The piece also high­lights the impact of cap­i­tal pun­ish­ment on fam­i­ly mem­bers and close friends of those fac­ing exe­cu­tion. It notes, ​“Lost in the shad­ows of these cen­tral argu­ments is some­thing that defines us human beings: Taking care of our own. Unseen, unheard fam­i­ly mem­bers and close friends of those on death row have com­mit­ted no crime, have done no wrong, yet they must suf­fer the ster­il­ized and cal­cu­lat­ed exe­cu­tion of their loved one. When the state shuf­fles a moth­er’s son into the death cham­ber, her heart hurts just the same as the loved ones of the per­son her son mur­dered. She becomes anoth­er in a long line of griev­ing human beings — vic­tim­ized by a sys­tem unin­ten­tion­al­ly designed to spread a wide net of emotional pain.”

The 10-page arti­cle, authored by Lane Nelson, also pro­vides an in-depth look at the death penal­ty in the U.S., includ­ing a review of ongo­ing lit­i­ga­tion, lethal injec­tion chal­lenges, and exe­cu­tions. In addi­tion, it exam­ines the issue of inno­cence and the impact that doubts about the fair­ness and accu­ra­cy of cap­i­tal pun­ish­ment has had on state poli­cies and pub­lic opin­ion.

The Angolite is an award-win­ning bi-month­ly prison news mag­a­zine pro­duced by inmates at the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola.

(The Angolite, January/​February 2007). Read more about The Angolite. See Resources, Victims, Lethal Injection, and Innocence.

Citation Guide