Comments we got from through our presentation.

-Most of the audience had a common opinion that we should abolish death penalty.
-Having examples of people getting executed would make the listeners have good imagination.
-We had persuasive reasons ehy we should abolish death penalty.
-Slogan was creative.

These reasons are the most well written opinion we had.

Abolish Cruel Death Penalty ACDP

We established NGO group "Abolish Cruel Death Penalty" ACDP.
Our goal is to abolish death penalty in Japan.
You can check our activities or more details on the power point we made.

http://firestorage.jp/download/1ae7571b6ee16ac29613724c0d526bdbb7cce5de

Please download it when you have a time.

We also made ACDP video clip. Please check it if you are interested in.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBUHXZIlnFU&feature=youtu.be

The result of the survey

20 people answered the survey we posted on this blog on June 25^th.
Most of them are around 20 years old. I appreciate people who cooperate for us.
I would like to summarize the result of the survey.

 

1.    Do you think the death penalty should be banned or allowed? Why?

11 people think death penalty “should be allowed”

7 people think death penalty “should be banded”
2 people “have not decided.”

People who think death penalty “should be allowed” said…

・The person who killed people should be done the same thing
・I think death penalty is an effective way to penalize people
People who think death penalty “should be banded” said…
・People don’t have the right to take lives of others.
・It is too cruel.

2.    Is the death penalty really appropriate?

13 people think it is appropriate.
7 people think it is NOT appropriate.

3.    Do you believe in "an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth"?

11 people answered “Yes”.

9 people answered “No”.

Some of them said…

・When it comes to death penalty, I think so.
・It makes only another conflict

4.    Do you think condemned criminals should be allowed to meet their families before getting killed?

13 people answered “Yes”.
7 people answered “No”.

 Some of them said…

・Not for the condemned criminals, but for their families.
・This is because they are human, too.

5.    What do you think the minimum age for the death penalty should be?

The most people answered the minimum age for the death penalty should be 20 years old. This is because 20 is the age that regarded an adult.

------------------------------------------
I was surprised that the number of the people who think death penalty should be allowed is bigger than the number of the people think death penalty should be banned.

Also the result that more people think condemned criminals should be allowed to meet their families before getting killed is impressive to me. I empathize with the comment which said “This is because they are human, too”.

I hope people who answered the survey would think about death penalty once again.

 

Thank you for  your cooperation.

Living conditions of condemned people

Even when defendants have not received confirmation of their sentence, they must adhere to a very strict time schedule at the detention center. Therefore, they do not have enough time to prepare for their trial.
Typical daily time schedule :

 Getting up 7:00
 Checking 7:30
 Breakfast 7:40
 Lunch 11:50
 Supper 16:20
 Checking 16:50
 Sleeping 21:00

"Hidden death penalty." Hidden death penalty. N.p., 1 Jan. 2001. Web. 10 July 2014. <http://www.jca.apc.org/stop-shikei/epamph/dpinjapan_e.html>.

Execution in the United States.

Here are some information about execution carried out in the United States.

Executions in the United States in 2008

DATE	NUMBER SINCE 1976	STATE	NAME	AGE	RACE	VICTIM RACE	METHOD
5/6/08	1100	GA	William Earl Lynd	53	W	1 White	Lethal Injection
5/21/08	1101	MS	Earl Wesley Berry	49	W	1 White	Lethal Injection
5/27/08	1102	VA	Kevin Green	31	B	1 White	Lethal Injection
6/4/08	1103	GA	Curtis Osborne	37	B	2 Black	Lethal Injection
6/6/08	1104	SC	David Mark Hill*	48	W	1 Black/2 White	Lethal Injection
6/11/08	1105	TX	Karl Chamberlain	37	W	1 White	Lethal Injection
6/17/08	1106	OK	Terry Lyn Short	47	W	1 Asian	Lethal Injection
6/20/08	1107	SC	James Earl Reed	49	B	2 Black	Electrocution
6/25/08	1108	VA	Robert Yarbrough	30	B	1 White	Lethal Injection
7/1/08	1109	FL	Mark Dean Schwab	39	W	1 Latino	Lethal Injection
7/10/08	1110	TX	Carlton Akee Turner	29	B	2 Black	Lethal Injection
7/10/08	1111	VA	Kent Jermaine Jackson	26	B	1 White	Lethal Injection
7/23/08	1112	MS	Dale Leo Bishop	34	W	1 White	Lethal Injection
7/23/08	1113	TX	Derrick Sonnier	40	B	2 Black	Lethal Injection
7/24/08	1114	VA	Christopher Scott Emmett	36	W	1 White	Lethal Injection
7/31/08	1115	TX	Larry Davis	40	B	1 White	Lethal Injection
8/5/08	1116	TX	Jose Medellin~	33	L	1 Latino/1 White	Lethal Injection
8/7/08	1117	TX	Heliberto Chi~	29	L	1 White	Lethal Injection
8/12/08	1118	TX	Leon Dorsey	32	B	2 White	Lethal Injection
8/14/08	1119	TX	Michael Rodriguez*	45	L	1 White	Lethal Injection
9/16/08	1120	GA	Jack Alderman	57	W	1 White	Lethal Injection
9/17/08	1121	TX	William Murray	39	W	1 White	Lethal Injection
9/23/08	1122	FL	Richard Henyard	34	B	2 Black	Lethal Injection
9/25/08	1123	OK	Jessie Cummings	52	W	1 White	Lethal Injection
10/14/08	1124	OH	Richard Cooey	41	W	2 White	Lethal Injection
10/14/08	1125	TX	Alvin Kelly	57	W	1 White	Lethal Injection
10/16/08	1126	TX	Kevin Michael Watts	27	B	3 Asian	Lethal Injection
10/21/08	1127	TX	Joseph Ray Ries	29	W	1 White	Lethal Injection
10/28/08	1128	TX	Eric Nenno	47	W	1 White	Lethal Injection
10/30/08	1129	TX	Gregory Wright	42	W	1 White	Lethal Injection
11/6/08	1130	TX	Elkie Taylor	46	B	1 Black	Lethal Injection
11/12/08	1131	TX	George Whitaker	36	B	1 Black	Lethal Injection
11/13/08	1132	TX	Denard Manns	42	B	1 White	Lethal Injection
11/19/08	1133	OH	Gregory Bryant-Bey	53	B	1 White	Lethal Injection
11/20/08	1134	TX	Robert Hudson	45	B	1 Black	Lethal Injection
11/21/08	1135	KY	Marco Allen Chapman*	37	W	2 White	Lethal Injection
12/5/08	1136	SC	Joseph Gardner	38	B	1 White	Lethal Injection

ƒ female
* volunteer - an inmate who waived ordinary appeals that remained at the time of his or her execution
~ foreign national
¥ white defendant executed for murder of black victim]

"Executions in the United States in 2008." DPIC. Death Penalty Information Center, n.d. Web. 10 July 2014. <http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/executions-united-states-2008>.

Where is death penalty taken place?

Where is death penalty taken place?

The death penalty is illegal in the following states:
Alaska
Hawaii
Iowa
Maine
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
North Dakota
New Jersey
New York
Rhode Island
Vermont
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Dist. of Columbia

and the following countries outlawed the death penalties in the respective years:
Albania (2000)
Andorra (1990)
Angola (1992)
Argentina (2008)
Armenia (2003)
Australia (1984)
Austria (1950)
Azerbaijan (1998)
Belgium (1996)
Bhutan (2004)
Bosnia-Herzegovina (1997)
Bulgaria (1998)
Cambodia (1989)
Canada (1976)
Cape Verde (1981)
Chile (2008)
Colombia (1910)
Cook Islands (2007)
Costa Rica (1877)
Côte d'Ivoire (2000)
Croatia (1990)
Cyprus (1983)
Czech Republic (1990)
Denmark (1933)
Djibouti (1995)
Dominican Republic (1966)
East Timor (1999)
Ecuador (1906)
Estonia (1998)
Finland (1949)
France (1981)
Georgia (1997)
Germany (1949)
Greece (1993)
Guinea-Bissau (1993)
Haiti (1987)
Honduras (1956)
Hungary (1990)
Iceland (1928)
Ireland (1990)
Italy (1947)
Kiribati (1979)
Liberia (2005)
Liechtenstein (1987)
Lithuania (1998)
Luxembourg (1979)
Macedonia (1991)
Malta (1971)
Marshall Islands (1986)
Mauritius (1995)
Mexico (2005)
Micronesia (1986)
Moldova (1995)
Monaco (1962)
Montenegro (2002)
Mozambique (1990)
Namibia (1990)
Nepal (1990)
Netherlands (1870)
New Zealand (1961)
Nicaragua (1979)
Niue (n.a.)
Norway (1905)
Palau (n.a.)
Panama (1903)
Paraguay (1992)
Poland (1997)
Portugal (1867)
Philippines (2006)
Romania (1989)
Rwanda (2007)
Samoa (2004)
San Marino (1848)
São Tomé and Príncipe (1990)
Senegal (2004)
Serbia (2002)
Seychelles (1993)
Slovak Republic (1990)
Slovenia (1989)
Solomon Islands (1966)
South Africa (1995)
Spain (1978)
Sweden (1921)
Switzerland (1942)
Turkey (2002)
Turkmenistan (1999)
Tuvalu (1978)
Ukraine (1999)
United Kingdom (1973)
Uruguay (1907)
Uzbekistan (2008)
Vanuatu (1980)
Vatican City (1969)
Venezuela (1863)


These nations have not used the death penalty in at least a decade, even though it is technically still legal:
Algeria (1993)
Benin (1987)
Brunei Darussalam (1957)
Burkina Faso (1988)
Central African Republic (1981)
Congo (Republic) (1982)
Eritrea (n.a.)
Gabon (n.a.)
Gambia (1981)
Ghana (n.a.)
Grenada (1978)
Kenya (n.a.)
Korea, South (n.a.)
Laos (n.a.)
Liberia (n.a.)
Madagascar (1958)
Malawi (n.a.)
Maldives (1952)
Mali (1980)
Mauritania (1987)
Morocco (1993)
Myanmar (1993)
Nauru (1968)
Niger (1976)
Papua New Guinea (1950)
Russia (1999)
Sri Lanka (1976)
Suriname (1982)
Swaziland (n.a.)
Tajikistan (n.a.)
Tanzania (n.a.)
Togo (n.a.)
Tonga (1982)
Tunisia (1990)
Zambia (n.a.)


That's the vast majority of the world. It is permitted in these countries, though:
Afghanistan
Antigua and Barbuda
Bahamas
Bahrain
Bangladesh
Barbados
Belarus
Belize
Botswana
Burundi
Cameroon
Chad
China (People's Republic)
Comoros
Congo (Democratic Republic)
Cuba
Dominica
Egypt
Equatorial Guinea
Eritrea
Ethiopia
Gabon
Ghana
Guatemala
Guinea
Guyana
India
Indonesia
Iran
Iraq
Jamaica
Japan
Jordan
Korea, North
Korea, South
Kuwait
Laos
Lebanon
Lesotho
Libya
Malawi
Malaysia
Mongolia
Nigeria
Oman
Pakistan
Palestinian Authority
Qatar
St. Kitts and Nevis
St. Lucia
St. Vincent and the Grenadines
Saudi Arabia
Sierra Leone
Singapore
Somalia
Sudan
Swaziland
Syria
Taiwan
Tajikistan
Tanzania
Thailand
Trinidad and Tobago
Uganda
United Arab Emirates
United States
Vietnam
Yemen
Zambia
Zimbabwe

and these states:
Alabama
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
Florida
Georgia
Idaho
Indiana
Illinois
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maryland
Mississippi
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Mexico
North Carolina
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Virginia
Washington
Wyoming

"The Death Penalty Worldwide." Information Please® Database, © 2007 Pearson Education, Inc., 1 Jan. 2007. Web. 10 July 2014. <http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0777460.html>.

Who is the most famous condemned in Japan?

One of the most famous condemneds in Japan is Shoko Asahara whose real name is Chizuo Matsumoto. He was the leader of Japanese cult “Aum Shinrikyo”. He was convicted for the sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway in 1995 and other crimes. 13 people were killed in the sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway.

 

Shoko Asahara

 

In 2004, he was sentenced to death but his execution has not been done yet. The reason he has not been executed is that he has a mental disease.

He is held in Tokyo Detention House now.

 

"Shoko Asahara." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 7 July 2014. Web. 10 July 2014. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shoko_Asahara.

 

"わたしは見た！オウム真理教裏ワークの真相." . 元信者　H, 1 Jan. 2003. Web. 10 July 2014. http://www.cnet-sc.ne.jp/canarium/2-3.1.html.

Movie Review “Dead Man Walking”

Movie Review “Dead Man Walking”

 

                                   

Plot

Matthew Poncelet who is the condemned for murdering a teenage couple has been in prison for six years. Matthew murdered the couple with his friend Carl Vitello. However Carl was not the condemned and received life imprisonment. Matthew insisted that he didn’t kill the couple and Carl killed them. He wrote the letter to Sister Helen who works for poor people and asked her to help him. She visited Matthew and decided to help him. She ordered the court retrial for Matthew. However her order was declined. Mathew asked Sister Helen to become his counselor until the day of execution. After that, Sister Helen visited the victims’ families and talked with them. They blamed her that she tried to help the condemned. She asked the mayor who thinks execution is not appropriate to abolish death penalty but it was declined. The day before of the execution, Matthew met his family and told his mother “I love you”. The day of his execution, he confessed to Sister Helen that he killed the boy and raped the girl. He also said he prayed for them. Right before execution, Matthew apologized to the boy’s father and told the girl’s parents that his death would bring them peace. After his execution, the boy's father attended Matthew’s burial ceremony. Sister Helen told him that they could help each other and they prayed.

 

Review

I thought the movie is quite controversial because it shows the both sides’ point of views which are pros and cons to death penalty. Some people in the movie such as Sister Helen or the mayor are against death penalty and they think death penalty should be banned. On the other hand, victims’ families think death penalty is appropriate and Matthew is deserved to be executed. Matthew’s mother believes her son’s innocence and still loves him. However victims’ families think Matthew is evil. This contrast is really impressive to me. At first, I thought death penalty is appropriate and Matthew should be executed but gradually my mind changed and in the end of the movie I could not say whether death penalty is appropriate. Of course, murdering is bad thing but executing the murder might be pointless. Victims never come back even though the murder was executed. I was also surprised how impersonal the execution is. In the movie, Matthew’s execution was carried out so inhumanely. People treated him not as human being but as a thing. Right before his execution he said “I don't wanna leave this world with any hate in my heart. I ask your forgiveness for what I done. It was a terrible thing I done, taking your son away from you.” as his last words. I thought it was really shocking and wonder if there is any other way for Matthew to atone for his murder. I think “Dead Man Walking” is good to let people think whether death penalty is really appropriate.

 

MLA

Dead man walking. Dir. Tim Robbins. Perf. Susan Sarandon, Sean Penn, Raymond J. Barry, Robert Prosky . Credence Cassettes, 1995. DVD