Death penalty spin is wrong



By Natasha Minsker

01/09/2009

John Poyner's Jan. 4 opinion piece on the death penalty ("Capital
punishment is justice for California") is based on false and
misleading statements. Poyner repeatedly cites what he calls a
"definitive anthology" without ever revealing that this publication
was created by the public relations arm of the California District
Attorneys' Association (CDAA) specifically to promote the death penalty.
A Public Records Act request by our office revealed that the CDAA
recruited individuals to write articles for the publication that
would provide the "spin" they wanted.
Most significantly, notes of the meetings reveal that the CDAA first
asked the person they deemed the state's most respected expert to
provide an article saying the death penalty has a deterrent effect.
This expert refused, telling them that there is no evidence to
support that conclusion and that people who claim to find a deterrent
effect simply do so based on their personal views. Unhappy with this
response, the CDAA instead chose to publish a piece by a professor of
marketing, someone whose only expertise is in selling things.
Californians deserve the truth when it comes to the death penalty not
marketing. The truth is, it's an expensive failure.

Natasha Minsker is death penalty policy director for the ACLU of
Northern California.

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