NVCADP

The topic of the death penalty is difficult to discuss. That’s why NVCADP works to shed light on the darkness of capital punishment and why we must repeal it.

Made up of a diverse group of community members, organizations, and people, NVCADP is a statewide coalition. Working in or around the legal system, they banded together to demand an end to Nevada’s death penalty. 

Since we covered their efforts back in July to repeal the death penalty during the special session, NVCADP continues its work. In addition, they address the issue of how the pandemic affects our prison population – particularly those currently on death row.  

Mark Bettencourt, Project Director for NVCADP, discussed the effects of COVID-19 on death row inmates. 

“Folks on our death row are kept isolated for 22 or 23 hours a day. And even these men are getting COVID. If our state can’t keep some of our most isolated prisoners safe, what are they doing the rest of the time?”

Issues With the Death Penalty

Mark brought to light several issues related to the death penalty.

For one, those on our death row all come from low-income backgrounds, including mostly minorities. And more still have long histories with physical and sexual abuse and mental illness. 

Racial Bias

Unsurprisingly there’s racial bias woven into the history and current application of the death penalty. Following the Reconstruction period after the American Civil War, politicians in the South enforced Jim Crow laws and segregation. They also allowed for extrajudicial killings to terrorize Black communities out of fighting for equal rights.

Groups like the NAACP worked through the 1910s and 20s, bringing light to the lynchings happening around the country.  The process of lynching stopped, and the death penalty intensified.

“The clear link between the death penalty white supremacy and racism is undeniable,” Bettencourt said. 

Like many of the racial issues in America, the killing of George Floyd brought new interest to systemic racial issues. Bettencourt stated that the death penalty helps “uphold the system of white supremacy.”

“With the recent BLM protests and the reaction to George Floyd’s death, it illuminated issues in our society plaguing our entire history.”

Wrongful Convictions

According to the Innocence Project, since 1989 – when the first DNA exoneration took place – there have been 375 prisoners exonerated. The racial disparity shows given that 225, or 60%, of those 375 were Black; followed by 117 (31%) Caucasian; 29 (8%) Latinx; with Asian American, Native American, and Self-Identified “Other” making up the remaining 4 – each accounting for 1% or less. 

An Unnecessary and Costly Practice

Bettencourt continued, saying that the disproportionately higher rate of people on death row in Clark County concerns him. This, especially because the county holds more death row inmates than any other county in the state.

He added that Nevada sentences people to death even though there’s currently no means to execute someone in the state. This is because the three drugs required for doing so are presently difficult and expensive to obtain. As a result, the state wastes money on keeping people on death row instead of using funds on more essential programs.

Besides the financial aspect, Bettencourt shared that they focus on all of the people involved in the death penalty process. 

“We think about these folks on death row, and we think of the victims and their loved ones, many of whom oppose the death penalty,” he said. 

By that, he means the “retraumatization through the entire process of litigation and appeals.” This, relating to victim’s families reliving the experience in court whenever a case is appealed, and a death sentence is fought. This leaves no room for healing with the initial trauma.

“Some say the system is broken, but I say it’s broken by design,” Bettencourt said. “The death penalty harms more people than it helps.” 

A Lack of Awareness and Communication Around the Subject

One thing repeated during our conversation; the lack of awareness that our state still has the death penalty. Few know that let alone know that we house one of the largest death rows in the country.

While at a criminal legal reform rally, Bettencourt spoke with an event organizer. He discovered that the organizer was aware that Nevada still had the death penalty. Because of the misconceptions and lack of awareness, NVCADP works to address the myths surrounding the death penalty.

“We haven’t been having enough conversations with the public about how barbaric and cruel these executions are, being state-sanctioned murders. We need to talk about this issue more, despite the controversy around it,” Bettencourt said. The organization, he explained, pushes the message of abolition in every corner of the state.

NVCADP works on coalition building with national and local coalitions, like Amnesty International. This, to create more equity in the legal system, support efforts to repeal the death penalty, create police reforms, and raising awareness, 

The spree of federal executions poses a pressing issue for them. Bettencourt shared that the federal government hadn’t executed anyone for over 17 years. Despite this, Trump and Attorney General William Barr resumed them over the summer. 

Disregard for Native American Sovereignty

Bettencourt cited the recent case of a Navajo citizen, Lezmond Mitchell, “the sole Native-American prisoner on federal death row” and “the first Native-American executed by the federal government for a crime committed against a member of his own tribe on tribal lands” (Death Penalty Information Center). 

Despite the objections of Native American leaders from across the country, the federal government executed him. The leaders oppose capital punishment per their religious and spiritual beliefs, making the decision to carry out Mitchell’s execution a violation of their sovereign rights, culture, and traditions. The family of the victims also objected to the execution for the same reasons. 

Despite the rush to save Mitchell’s life, the federal government executed him on August 26th, 2020. Bettencourt shared his concern for how the Trump administration and the federal government conducted this execution, especially after a nearly two-decade hiatus. 

NVCADP’s Upcoming Collaborations

Bettencourt spoke about other efforts that NVCADP was working on to further their advocacy for the visibility of death row inmates. 

Workshop with DRE, Inc.

Preparing for an upcoming workshop, NVCADP partnered with an organization called Death Row Expressions, Inc. Established in 2020, this non-profit works to assist death row inmates with engagement in art and literary expression. This organization started as a collaboration between a therapist and William Leonard, an artist and poet on Nevada’s death row,” (DRE Inc.).

DRE, Inc. works to bring light to the darkness by showcasing the artwork, poetry, and literary works of people on death row here in Nevada. Its mission is “to encourage death row inmate involvement in therapeutic activities such as art and literary expression.” 

The organization publishes the work of incarcerated people on Nevada’s death row to give them a place for the community to see and hear their work. They also sell their work to raise funds for art materials to them to continue to create and get the therapy that the art gives them. 

NVCADP is hosting a virtual event on Thursday, October 8th at 5 PM with guest speakers Jennifer Garrison, co-founder of Death Row Inmates, Inc.; Susan Chandler MSW, Ph.D., and associate professor emeritus at the University of Nevada, Reno; and Ismael “Izzy” Santillanes – a poet and artist enrolled in an MFA in Creative Writing program at Antioch University Los Angeles. 

Those who wish to attend can register through this page. 

Urging the Legislature to Repeal the Death Penalty

Bettencourt shared that with their attempts to repeal the death penalty in the July special session, the discussion was out of the purview of what would be covered. However, he said that there are “a number of legislators who believe there is a possibility of looking at the repeal later on.”

The legislature rejected to add the request to the second special session.

“Because the special sessions were not as productive as we’d like to see on our issue, we are going to be looking to organize and educate in Clark County, particularly because a large percent of the death penalty cases in Nevada are coming from here, in the hopes that our elected officials will do the right thing and end this barbaric practice,” Bettencourt said. 

NVCADP’s New Community Organizer

To better facilitate these conversations at a community level on the ground, Bettencourt shared that NVCADP hired someone for their new Community Organizer position since the first special session. 

“We are excited to be bringing on a person whose focus is on engaging with people in communities disproportionately affected by the death penalty in the state,” he said.  

Branden Cunningham

A former organizer with The Nevada Conservation League, Branden Cunningham, filled the position. 

When asked about the work he will be doing in the community, Cunningham said, “I’m working on what you could call more traditional organizing work like recruiting volunteers for phone banking, [writing] letters to the editor, or having people call their elected officials.”

He shared that he’s also working on communication-oriented work as well, “like creating educational materials through infographics and short video projects to explain different facets of the issue.” 

“I’m also working on creating a stronger social media presence to increase awareness and community involvement,” he said. Cunningham also manages two research projects related to the death penalty issue. “My job is kinda all over the place.”

Cunningham’s Reach

Cunningham’s reach as Community Organizer extends to the whole state, which he mentioned the limitations of due to the distance and the pandemic. 

“Our two main power bases are in Clark and Washoe,” Cunningham said. “But we will try and do work in our rural communities considering they house many of our incarcerated people.” 

Cunningham shared that the type of outreach he’ll be presently focusing on will involve creating digital events around the lesser spoken about elements of the death penalty and incarceration, such as the mental health of incarcerated people and the role of art in helping people heal. 

“We’re currently working to partner with other criminal justice groups to discuss the issues that overlap with the death penalty,” he added. 

The Challenges He Faces

With the pandemic, Cunningham said that he’s limited to the kind of work that he and NVCADP can do at this time. “The Death Penalty is a touchy subject, and it’s hard to speak about it on zoom calls,” he said. 

“It’s also created some possibilities,” he added. “Money that would be going to office space has been redirected for digital events, research, and other things. It’s created opportunities for us to be more nimble around the issue.”

When asked how he feels about his new position, Cunningham said he feels fantastic. 

“I’ve spent a lifetime organizing. This is the first time I’ve felt like my work is important and my voice is heard. It feels like there’s less bureaucracy between the community and me.” 

#GetinMotion with NVCADP

To learn more about NVCADP, visit their website at http://nvcadp.org/.

Follow them on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  

Additional resources for people to check out:

• Enduring Injustice: Report on Racial Bias in the US Death Penalty.
• ‘Lifelines’ – UK group that pairs people up with inmates on death row together as penpals.