The nation’s police chiefs rank the death penalty last in their priorities for effective crime reduction. The same police chiefs reported that the most important tool for reducing violent crime is to have more police on the streets.
"From my personal experience struggling for good mental health care for my son, who suffered tremendously following my husband’s murder, I believe family survivors of murder victims would be much better served if the resources wasted on the death penalty were used to provide quality mental health care for the victims and survivors of violence."
Louisiana quick stats:
The reasons to end the death penalty in Louisiana are compelling. The economic, social and human costs of executions exact a terrible toll on all involved; the pursuit of the death penalty drains precious resources from our justice system and from support services for victims of crime; and, even with numerous safeguards in place, the number of those wrongfully convicted continues to climb.
The Louisiana Coalition for Alternatives to the Death Penalty is a grassroots coalition dedicated to achieving non-violent and effective alternatives to the death penalty. We recognize that Louisiana’s death penalty is socially, racially and economically unjust. We believe that the state’s limited resources should be channelled into local communities to prevent crime and better support families affected by murder.
Diminishing All of Us
A new study of the death penalty in Louisiana has just been released. Diminishing All of Us: The Death Penalty in Louisiana, was commissioned by the Louisiana Catholics Committed to the Repeal of the Death Penalty (LCCRDP) and co-authored by Alex Mikulich of LCCRDP and LCADP’s Sophie Cull.
The study draws on comprehensive social, scientific and historical analyses to detail the deep flaws in Louisiana’s death penalty system, and how the system absorbs much needed resources that would be far more effective preventing crime and increasing public safety.
Though this study addresses the death penalty from a Roman Catholic perspective, its authors have aimed to demonstrate the ineffectiveness and arbitrariness of our death penalty system as a public policy, including the ways it is unfairly administered across racial, social and economic lines. They have gathered the results of all qualitative and quantitative Louisiana-focused studies related to the administration of the death penalty and document them here in a single collection.
Both a summary and the full study are available for download.
LCADP Member’s Handbook
Experience shows that when you give people solid, accurate information about how the death penalty operates and you then invite them to think about alternatives, most people recognize our current system is unworkable, unfixable and unnecessary. The trouble is, the vast majority of people have never thought deeply about the death penalty and, because of that, their notions are informed by myths, misconceptions and misinformation. So it’s vital that those of us working to end executions first educate ourselves and, second, talk about the death penalty to our friends, our family, our colleagues, our classmates and the broader public.
We’ve put together a Member’s Handbook that will help you do both these things. Learn more about how you can get your hands on this valuable resource!
Crime Victims Guidebook
In 2003, Rose Preston’s husband and mother-in-law were brutally murdered. Crime Victims Guidebook: For Those Who Have Lost Their Loved Ones to Violence is a product of her experience, a resource for victims’ families as well as victims of crime. Rose has kindly made this book available for download in PDF format.
Here’s what Rose has to say about this book:
You can download the Crime Victims Guidebook here.
While most immediately designed to be a resource for those who have lost someone to violence, the Guidebook also contains useful information for those who have been victims of rape, sexual assault, theft and burglary, aggravated assault and hate crimes and while the guidebook focuses on legal proceedings and resources in New Orleans, much of it will be relevant no matter where you live.
If you have lost someone to violence, we hope this book will be of use to you.
If you know someone who has recently lost someone to violence, please download this book and print it out for them.
New Orleans, LA 70113
Phone: 504-535-0525
Fax: 504-558-0378
