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Troy Davis Execution: Time for Britain to Adopt Death Penalty?

On Wednesday 21 September Troy Davis was executed by the state of Georgia for the murder of policeman Mark MacPhail in 1991.

Despite serious concerns with the evidence the state of Georgia carried out the execution and brought Mr Davis' 20 year stay of execution to an end. What the state of Georgia showed was a complete lack of compassion, humanity and acted in revenge, not justice. There is simply to justification for taking somebody's life, be it that of Troy Davis, convicted of a heinous murder oranybody else.

There is simply no statistical evidence to say that introducing a death penalty would deter people from committing crime. A report from the Death Penalty Information Centre shows that those states in the U.S. that have the death penalty have higher rates of homicide.

Kimberly Wyatt: 'I'm So Grateful to Dance

Kimberly Wyatt: 'I'm direct and honest'

Sky
Kimberly Wyatt has claimed that her judging style on Sky1 series Got To Dance is both "direct and honest".

The Pussycat Dolls star has been branded the "nasty" judge on the reality show's panel, but she insisted that she is merely treating the contestants with the same seriousness that she was as a young performer.

"I'm direct and I'm honest. That was the way that I learned, I was a competition kid growing up," she told Sky News. "I've been on that stage time and time again and there's been many times when the judges have been pretty harsh on me.

"But I'm so thankful for it because it really moulded me into the dancer I have become. I try and do the same for the kids that are involved in this competition.

Troy Davis

Troy Davis's death must not be in vain

They try to keep the death cell at Georgia diagnostic and classification prison in Jackson clean; its smell is primarily one of antiseptic. But no matter how hard they try, the stench of death is impossible to get rid of. I know this because on 24 May 1984 I was due to be executed in the same place that Troy Davis was killed on Thursday. The electric chair was prepped and my head about to be shaved, but just hours before the execution time I received a reprieve. Troy was not so lucky.


The death watch cell itself is like most cells on death row: 8ft by 6ft; a stainless steel toilet and sink combination; a slab bed welded to the wall; an inch-thick mattress with blue and white stripes and an old olive-green army blanket. On the wall there's a piece of metal that was once shined up to act as a mirror but is now scratched and marked by other inmates. You can't see your reflection anymore.

When you're there, two officers observe you at all times. One would write down my every movement, the other my every word, to report back to the warden before the time of death – to stop you from taking your own life before the state takes it from you. I could see, from where I sat, the room where the execution was to be controlled. In those days it was where the electric chair would have been turned on and now, I assume, it's where the lethal cocktail of drugs is administered. The execution chamber itself is only 10ft away.


Although no single experience in this cell is the same as another, everyone who's been there will have had to fight. Fight the depression that is constantly trying to descend upon you. Fight off the questions: can I keep going until the end? Is there a way to make peace with myself before it comes?

They give you the option of turning the TV on. I take comfort from the fact that Troy would have seen the vigils outside the prison, the protests around the world, and that he would have heard the cries of "I am Troy Davis".

I never met Troy. And deliberately did not have an active role in the campaign to save his life. I did not want his case compared to mine. I pleaded guilty to murdering 77-year-old Fred Stapleton, whom I shot dead in an armed robbery on 4 April 1974. After my sentencing, I began writing to his family asking for forgiveness. They gave it to me and it was through their backing that my death sentence was eventually commuted to life, and I was released from jail in 1992. Troy always maintained his innocence.

I attended the vigil outside the state capitol in Atlanta. Along with the 500 others present I felt the joy when we heard his execution had been postponed by the supreme court. There was singing, there was chanting. I addressed the crowd and told them what Troy said himself, that his case is more than just about him. It's about a justice system that the poor of Georgia, the African Americans of Georgia, no longer trust. A justice system that cannot accept when it is wrong, that will execute an innocent man rather than seek the truth. That won't stop to reconsider, even when witnesses say they've been pressured and coerced.

When the decision to go ahead regardless was given, the mood outside the capitol changed from joy to shock and disbelief. Troy was psychologically tortured, given a false sense of hope. I can relate, on some level. When I was on death row and my first execution date came, I sat and waited in my cell for the guards to come and take me away. It was terrifying, not knowing when or if they'd come. They never did. The legal system, which entitles all first execution dates to an automatic appeal, had never been explained to me and I did not find out until the following week that I was not to die.

The last thing I told the crowd outside the capitol was that we have the power to bring about a moratorium on the death penalty by voting out those representatives and senators who are hellbent on its use; by enacting the old saying that government is of, by and for the people. My reprieve from the electric chair came just hours before my scheduled death. It took a phone call from Mother Teresa to the supreme court and pleas from the Stapleton family. Troy Davis received no such clemency, but his death must not be in vain.

Kat Dennings : CHICA I.T

She's the new Indie Queen par excellence, she's Kat Dennings! Born in Philly, Pennsylvania, Kat moved with her parents to L.A. at the short age of 15 to pursue an acting career.
Ever since one of her first roles in Hilary Duff's movie 'Raise your Voice' (2004), she has delivered powerful and intriguing performances, with that understated, natural and bizarre touch that's so particularly personal of hers.
With a curvaceous silhouette, dark hair and amazing eyes, Dennings has managed to captivate the indie film industry, owning every single role given to her.
Between her indie outstanding performances we find: Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist (2008), Charlie Barlett (2008) and Daydream Nation (2010).
Originally named Kat Litwack, she changed her last name to Dennings in the hopes of making it in the city of dreams despite her parents expectations. And she certainly did. Her ironic and sarcastic wit have turned her into a talented newcomer, with mesmerizing beauty, a unique style and an unforgettably sassy intelligence. That's why Kat is our new CHICA I.T.

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Kimberly Wyatt Pictures

Girls Face Kat Dennings

Kat Dennings

Full Name : Katherine Litwack
Born : June 13, 1986
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Occupation : Actress
Years active : 2000

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