Texas Catholic Campaign to End the Death Penalty

Contact Dave Atwood at dpatwood@igc.org if you would like to schedule a talk on the death penalty or volunteer to work against the death penalty.

Catholic Mobilizing Network to End the Death Penalty Collaborates with U.S. Bishops, Abolition Groups  read more

New Book by David Atwood

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Detour to Death Row is the story of David Atwood - a retired oil company engineer, committed Christian, student of nonviolence and tireless activist - and his 15-year effort to abolish the death penalty in Texas. It is also the story of the people he met on his journey: men and women on death row, their families, the families of the victims, and fellow death penalty activists across the globe. It is the story of a failed system of retribution and a story of hope that there is a better way of justice.

"Dave Atwood's Detour to Death Row is an incredible journey which shows what can happen to a person who allows God to enter his life and lead him on different path. Who would have thought that an engineer working for an oil company would one day be leading the fight to abolish the death penalty in the state which leads the nation in executions? Dave's story is an inspiration to me, personally, and to anyone who believes in the sanctity of all human life."

—Sister Helen Prejean, CSJ, author of Dead Man Walking (Random House, 1993) and The Death of Innocents: An Eyewitness Account of Wrongful Executions (Random House, 2004)

"Dave Atwood is a dedicated advocate for human rights who has worked tirelessly against the death penalty for many years. This work is particularly difficult in Texas where officials strongly support capital punishment. Dave's book is a wonderful description of how he grew into this work and organized efforts in Texas to oppose this inhumane form of punishment. I highly recommend it to anyone who is interested in creating a more civilized society."

—Frances (Sissy) Farenthold, Texas legislator, attorney and educator.

Purchase Detour to Death Row

Catholic Campaign Needed

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The Catholic Campaign Against the Death Penalty was established by the U.S. Catholic Bishops in 2005. As explained by the Bishops, the Campaign is based on Catholic teaching that offers a unique perspective on crime and punishment. It begins with the recognition that the dignity of the human person applies to both victims and offenders. It affirms our commitment to comfort and support victims and their families. It also acknowledges the God-given dignity of every human life, even those who do great harm.

The Bishops explain that our fundamental respect for human life and for God, who created each person in his image, requires that we choose not to end human life in response to violent crimes if non-lethal options are available. Such options are available today in the United States. As the Catechism of the Catholic Church states, "Today, in fact, as a consequence of the possibilities which the state has for effectively preventing crime, by rendering one who has committed an offense incapable of doing harm without definitively taking away from him the possibility of redeeming himself - the cases in which the execution of the offender is an absolute necessity are very rare, if not practically non-existent" (no. 2267).

Texas now has life without parole as an option to the death penalty for someone convicted of capital murder. It is an option that both punishes the offender and protects society. Since someone can be incarcerated for life if necessary, we no longer need to take life. This is a wonderful step forward for humanity.

The Catholic Campaign recommends four things that Catholics can do:

1. Pray for victims of crime and their families, those who have been wrongly convicted, and those awaiting execution.
2. Learn about Catholic teaching on the death penalty and the criminal justice system. For more information, go to the following websites: www.ccedp.org , www.deathpenaltyinfo.org, www.tcadp.org.
3. Educate people in your parish or community. Visit the websites noted above for educational resources, Vatican and Bishops' statements on the death penalty and statements from individual bishops and Catholic state conferences.
4. Advocate by contacting your elected officials . Share with them Catholic teaching on the death penalty and urge them to take steps at the state and national levels to curtail or end its use. To receive information on efforts regarding the death penalty at the national level or to link with a particular state's efforts, visit the websites noted above.

The importance of the Catholic Campaign to Texas is demonstrated by the high number of executions in the state. Through 2010, Texas has carried out over 450 executions since the death penalty was resumed in 1982. Currently, there are over 300 prisoners on Texas Death Row.

In their Good Friday Appeal to End the Death Penalty in 1999, the U.S. Catholic Bishops stated, "We cannot overcome crime by simply executing criminals, nor can we restore the lives of the innocent by ending the lives of those convicted of their murders. The death penalty offers the tragic illusion that we can defend life by taking life". The wisdom of the Bishops' statement is as true today as it was eight years ago.

Were You There?  Read A Good Friday Message