Faith in Action Resource Guidebook 2006
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FAITH IN ACTION RESOURCE GUIDEBOOK 2006 AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL USA PROGRAM TO ABOLISH THE DEATH PENALTY WWW.AMNESTYUSA.ORG/FAITHINACTION/ Amnesty International Founded in London in 1961, Amnesty International (AI) is a Nobel Prize-winning grassroots activist organization with over one million members worldwide. Amnesty International undertakes research and action focused on preventing and ending grave abuses of the rights to physical and mental integrity, freedom of conscience and expression, and freedom from discrimination, within the context of its work to promote all human rights. AI is a worldwide campaigning movement that works to promote all the human rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international standards. With its International Secretariat headquartered in London, AI has members and supporters in 162 countries and territories. Activities range from public demonstrations to letter writing, from human rights education to fundraising concerts, from individual appeals on a particular case to global campaigns on a specific human rights issue. AI is impartial and independent of any government, political persuasion or religious creed. It is financed primarily by subscriptions and donations from its worldwide membership. Amnesty International USA (AIUSA) is the U.S. Section of Amnesty International. Amnesty International USA’s Program to Abolish the Death Penalty The Program to Abolish the Death Penalty (PADP) works toward the abolition of the death penalty worldwide. Collaborating with departments such as Communications, Government Relations, and others, the PADP supports the work of Amnesty International’s Regional Offices, Regional/State Death Penalty Abolition Coordinators (R/SDPACs), and grassroots activists throughout the country by serving as a facilitator and clearinghouse for information and resources on the death penalty. Additionally, the PADP works for clemency on individual death penalty cases, supports state and federal legislation that seeks to limit the application of the death penalty, and coordinates efforts to build coalitions with other abolitionist and social justice organizations. For inquiries about the NWFA, please contact: AIUSA Program to Abolish the Death Penalty Washington DC Office 202-544-0200 ext. 496 [email protected] UYZ\] 2006 Faith in Action Resource Guidebook ã Amnesty International USA, July 2006 Program to Abolish the Death Penalty National Weekend of Faith in Action 600 Pennsylvania Avenue SE, 5th Floor Washington, D.C. 20003 Available online at www.amnestyusa.org/faithinaction/resourceguidebook.pdf 2006 Faith in Action Resource Guidebook Table of Contents Acknowledgments......................................................................................iii Guide to the Guidebook ............................................................................iv Part One: Background Information on the Death Penalty .........................1 Amnesty International’s Position on the Death Penalty............................... 1 The Abolition Movement: A Brief History ............................................................ 2 The Abolition Movement in the United States ............................................ 2 The Abolition Movement Worldwide ........................................................... 6 Part Two: Resources for Promoting Reflection on the Death Penalty ........10 Sample Prayers ........................................................................................................... 10 A Prayer for Murder Victims’ Families .......................................................... 10 United Methodist Sample Litany ................................................................... 11 Sample Bulletin Insert ............................................................................................... 12 Sample Services ......................................................................................................... 13 National Weekend of Faith in Action Interfaith Service .......................... 13 “Restorative Justice” Service ....................................................................... 15 Sample Sermons......................................................................................................... 17 A Declaration of Life ................................................................................................. 18 What Religious Groups and People of Faith Have Said About the Death Penalty................................................................................. 20 Part Three: Resources for Promoting Discussion on the Death Penalty ......29 How to Create a Supportive Space for Discussion .......................................... 29 How to Address the Tough Points ........................................................................ 31 Film Discussion Guides .............................................................................................. 34 Discussion Guide for “Dead Man Walking” ............................................... 34 Discussion Guide for “The Exonerated” ....................................................... 37 Discussion Guide for “The Empty Chair” ...................................................... 39 Part Four: Resources for Promoting Action on the Death Penalty .............40 How to Pass a Resolution on the Death Penalty.............................................. 40 Sample Resolutions on the Death Penalty .................................................. 42 Ways to Provide Support to Families Impacted by the Death Penalty .... 44 “No Silence, No Shame”: Organizing Families of the Executed ............................................................................................... 46 How to Find an Inmate Pen Pal ............................................................................ 47 i How to Move Your Messages in the Media....................................................... 48 Sample Press Release ..................................................................................... 52 How to Lobby ............................................................................................................. 53 Sample Letter to Legislators ........................................................................... 56 Interfaith Statement of Opposition to the Death Penalty ........................ 57 Part Five: Death Penalty Resources and Contacts .......................................58 Reports, Books, Films, Audio Recordings, and Theatrical Productions ....... 58 AIUSA’s State and Regional Death Penalty Abolition Coordinators ........ 71 AIUSA’s Member Networks .................................................................................... 74 AIUSA’s Regional Offices ........................................................................................ 76 International, National, State, and Local Organizations .............................. 77 The Universal Declaration of Human Rights ..............................................86 ii Acknowledgments Amnesty International USA’s Program to Abolish the Death Penalty extends its gratitude to everyone who contributed to the 2006 NWFA. 2006 NWFA Advisory Group Sadida Ahmed Silas Allard Mona Cadena Martina Correia Jared Feuer Kristin Houlé Terry McCaffrey Robert Nave Sandra Pérez Shubra Obri Robert Schultz Abbie Turiansky All of AIUSA’s State/Regional Death Penalty Abolition Coordinators and the PADP National Steering Committee AIUSA’s Regional Office Staff and the New Media Unit, especially Chip Hossfeld Contributors to the 2006 Faith in Action Resource Guidebook and NWFA Resources: Dr. Azizah Yahia Muhammad Toufiq al-Hibri Jacqui Lofaro Bill Babbitt Kathleen Macrae Thomas Boland Terry McCaffrey Martina Correia Dorothy Miller Renny Cushing Laura Moye Eric DeBode Efia Nwangaza Anne Geyer Claire Packham Mary Gifford Bill Pelke Elise Harriger Rabbi Daniel Polish Maria Hines Andy Rivas Scott Langley Susannah Sheffer Rachel Lawler Shari Silberstein Diana Lion Rev. Robert Tucker Adrianne Lipscomb Harmon Wray Beth Walsh iii Guide to the Guidebook This Guidebook contains vital background information and resources to support your participation in the 2006 National Weekend of Faith in Action on the Death Penalty (NWFA) and other faith-based work on the death penalty. It is accompanied by two resources: “Organizing for the National Weekend of Faith in Action and Beyond: A Guide for Participants”, which contains specific ideas for NWFA activities and events, and a Faith in Action Resource CD. All of these materials are part of the NWFA Organizing Packet. While this Guidebook might seem a bit overwhelming at first blush, it is quite easy to navigate through the information once you’ve gotten the hang of it. This “Guide to the Guidebook” will help direct you to the most relevant resources for your participation in the NWFA. You’ll find some specific suggestions below, but first, here are a couple of general tips for using the Guidebook: • Familiarize yourself with the Table of Contents. (pp. i-ii) • Keep in mind that you do not need to read the Guidebook cover to cover. Rather, you can “pick and choose” among the ideas, examples, and resources to find the best fit with your needs and capacity to work on the death penalty. For those of you who are new to the death penalty issue or to the NWFA, here are some specific suggestions for how to get started: • Read through “Organizing for the National Weekend of Faith in Action and Beyond... A Guide for Participants.” • Review the background