Supreme Court Case Brings D.C. Students to Capitol Hill for Death Penalty Debate
Posted: May 21, 2004
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT
Friday, May 21, 2004
Brenda Bowser
202.293.6970 (Office) 301.906.4460 (Cell)
bbowser@deathpenaltyinfo.org
SUPREME COURT CASE BRINGS D.C. STUDENTS TO CAPITOL HILL FOR DEATH PENALTY DEBATE
Third Annual Summit Features Former Death Row Inmate, National Experts
WASHINGTON, DC – DC teens debated the issue of the death penalty for juveniles today during the third annual Teen Summit on Capital Punishment. The Capitol Hill event, sponsored by the Capital Punishment Education Project (CPEP), occurred just months before the U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments in Roper v. Simmons, a case that will decide the constitutionality of executing those who are under the age of 18 at the time of their crime, and months after a Virginia jury sentenced juvenile-offender Lee Boyd Malvo to life in prison without parole.
"Capital punishment, especially the death penalty for juveniles, is a timely issue, and it is wonderful that our region's young people have come together to engage in a healthy debate on this subject," said Richard C. Dieter, DPIC Executive Director. "It has been a tremendous honor to work with local schools on this issue.”
Today's Teen Summit on Capital Punishment gave students from several local high schools the opportunity to interact with noted death penalty experts. The event began with remarks about the juvenile death penalty by Adam Ortiz of the American Bar Association’s Juvenile Justice Division and then featured a student exchange of views on capital punishment. At the conclusion of the Summit, students heard the real-life story of former death row inmate Shujaa Graham, who spent four years on California’s death row before being cleared of all charges.
"The death penalty is an important public policy issue," said Diann Rust-Tierney, Director of the ACLU Capital Punishment Project. "This program provides students with the tools to be effective citizens by showing them how to become informed and to make decisions based on the facts."
Today’s Summit marked the conclusion of a year-long program rooted in an innovative Web-based death penalty curriculum designed by the Death Penalty Information Center (DPIC) and the Michigan State Communications Technology Laboratory. This is the third year that CPEP has hosted this Summit event.
During the past school year, the CPEP program offered teachers in Washington, D.C. the opportunity to encourage their students in civic participation, critical thinking and the development of research skills by utilizing a topic of current interest. CPEP teachers used the Web-based curriculum (available at http://teacher.deathpenaltyinfo.msu.edu) and accompanying materials to assist students in an exploration of capital punishment, the arguments for and against its use, and principles of ethics and justice that surround the death penalty.
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CONTACT
Friday, May 21, 2004
Brenda Bowser
202.293.6970 (Office) 301.906.4460 (Cell)
bbowser@deathpenaltyinfo.org
SUPREME COURT CASE BRINGS D.C. STUDENTS TO CAPITOL HILL FOR DEATH PENALTY DEBATE
Third Annual Summit Features Former Death Row Inmate, National Experts
WASHINGTON, DC – DC teens debated the issue of the death penalty for juveniles today during the third annual Teen Summit on Capital Punishment. The Capitol Hill event, sponsored by the Capital Punishment Education Project (CPEP), occurred just months before the U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments in Roper v. Simmons, a case that will decide the constitutionality of executing those who are under the age of 18 at the time of their crime, and months after a Virginia jury sentenced juvenile-offender Lee Boyd Malvo to life in prison without parole.
"Capital punishment, especially the death penalty for juveniles, is a timely issue, and it is wonderful that our region's young people have come together to engage in a healthy debate on this subject," said Richard C. Dieter, DPIC Executive Director. "It has been a tremendous honor to work with local schools on this issue.”
Today's Teen Summit on Capital Punishment gave students from several local high schools the opportunity to interact with noted death penalty experts. The event began with remarks about the juvenile death penalty by Adam Ortiz of the American Bar Association’s Juvenile Justice Division and then featured a student exchange of views on capital punishment. At the conclusion of the Summit, students heard the real-life story of former death row inmate Shujaa Graham, who spent four years on California’s death row before being cleared of all charges.
"The death penalty is an important public policy issue," said Diann Rust-Tierney, Director of the ACLU Capital Punishment Project. "This program provides students with the tools to be effective citizens by showing them how to become informed and to make decisions based on the facts."
Today’s Summit marked the conclusion of a year-long program rooted in an innovative Web-based death penalty curriculum designed by the Death Penalty Information Center (DPIC) and the Michigan State Communications Technology Laboratory. This is the third year that CPEP has hosted this Summit event.
During the past school year, the CPEP program offered teachers in Washington, D.C. the opportunity to encourage their students in civic participation, critical thinking and the development of research skills by utilizing a topic of current interest. CPEP teachers used the Web-based curriculum (available at http://teacher.deathpenaltyinfo.msu.edu) and accompanying materials to assist students in an exploration of capital punishment, the arguments for and against its use, and principles of ethics and justice that surround the death penalty.
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