DEATH ROW  Joy Elder reflects on her
experiences of Texas.On April 24th 1998 I and five others stood silently watching as our friend Lesley Gosch was killed by lethal injection in Texas, the killing capital of the U.S.A. It was an experience that had a profound effect on my life and that of a friend who accompanied me. Through my friendships with several people on Death Row I have learned so very much about America,with all its contrasts of riches and poverty;about its culture of violence, a land where guns far outnumber people . I have seen the shacks which are the dwelling places of the rural poor and the inner city ghettos of Houston and Dallas. Almost everyone who ends up on Death Row has come from a background of such poverty. This,coupled with the all too common story of family break-up and abuse, leads many young men to find solace in criminal activity and,in case of the young,- gangs. Let me tell you the story of one of the youngest guys I’m in touch with and visit.His name is Anthony. Mexican in origin,he was brought up by his German grandparents and all was going well in his life. He was a regular high school kid and his great love was doing sport after school.One day some other kids broke into his locker and stole his algebra homework.When he told his teacher she punished him instead of helping him.She forbade him to do any more sport after school. That act of injustice was the first of many more, which ultimately led to his ending up on Death Row. No longer doing sport,he was forced to leave school at 3 p.m.And that meant ‘gangs’.It was inevitable. Now at the age of 25 he is suffering the isolated and miserable existence of all those on Death Row. No human contact, being treated worse than a zoo animal,nothing to do except to read,write or draw (imagine what it must be like if you can’t do any of those) and you’re not going anywhere. Just locked up in your cell for 23 hours a day. Anthony is an eternal optimist, he believes his lawyers will get him out. But like all others on the Row the months will dissolve into years and hope will fade until at last, all appeals having come to nothing and having been no more than a pawn in a lawyers’ game at worst or wasted efforts at best, a death warrant will be issued and another young man will be strapped down, bound from head to foot and lethally injected. His mother, if he has one, and others will weep and dose themselves on Valium. Lesley Gosch was born to a 16-yr. old mother and a 17-yr. old father who was killed a couple of years later in a car crash. Unable to cope, the mother was all too pleased when her partner’s parents offered to adopt him. The baby’s granny was fine but the stepfather was cruel and abusive. Beatings were part of the regular routine . On Death Row Lesley read voraciously and became quite a philosopher. He also discovered a great talent for art, as several do, and produced some very fine drawings. He was very kind,always helping other inmates, especially with all the difficult legal work (an absolute nightmare for those who can neither read nor write). He became a very special friend and it was hard to watch him being killed, after 12 years on Death Row. During that time he had become a truly good person. In the very same week that Lesley was killed they also killed a man who was brain damaged.He had been knocked by a car at four years old and never recovered.After 23 years of quietly padding around on Death Row, the State decided it was time for him to go. He had been there too long and they needed the cell for one of the many new youngsters coming in. It has been proved that execution is not a deterrent.Texas has the highest execution rate in America.It also has the highest crime rate. Everyone on Death Row is poor, for the rich can afford clever lawyers who make sure their clients don’t end up there. Ethnic minorities are over-represented.Only 1% of all homicide perpetrators end up on Death Row. At least 20-30% of all those on Death Row are innocent. It is the saddest thing in the world to visit this place of no-hope. This form of punishment is cruel and barbaric . It is inflicted on people who have already experienced a lifetime of suffering and loss.They become nobodies,doing nothing and going nowhere. It has to stop. The one and only consolation is that many do find God and in so doing they find there is hope after all.Many have pen-friends in England and Wales and these friendships become a tremendous lifeline of hope.We, their friends love them and are frequently truly inspired by them. Please pray for an end to the death penalty in the U.S.A.and everywhere in the world. If you would like to become a pen-friend to someone on Death Row now, then write to Edges Office. |
