By: Kaci King
11/11/2004

America has always relied heavily on the court system to determine punishment for the violent offenders. In 38 states, including Kansas, this punishment can result in death by lethal injection.

Michael Radelet is the chair of the sociology department for the University of Colorado at Boulder. He spent years working on the Ted Bundy case and has been traveling for 25 years as an advocate against capital punishment.

On Nov. 5, Radelet spoke in the Casado Campus Center. About 20 students gathered to discuss and learn more about the death penalty and the effects it has on society. This lecture was a part of the Friends University criminal justice seminar series facilitated by Phil Wiseley.

Various issues were covered during the lecture. Students were informed how the death penalty laws operate. According to Kansas law, individuals convicted of murder in specific circumstances are subject to lethal injection.

This law affected Wichita resident Kristi Smith firsthand after her father was brutally murdered. Despite going through such a traumatic ordeal, Smith remains determined to be an advocate against the death penalty. During the lecture she spoke candidly about her father’s death and the decisions it forced her to make.

“God didn’t give me or anyone else the wisdom to tell someone when to die,” Smith said. “People say if murder happens to someone in your family you feel different. Killing doesn’t ever make you a better person. I choose peace.”

Radelet’s purpose for speaking out against the death penalty is to inform the public of the injustices that he says this type of law creates.

“I want to create more awareness about alternatives to the death penalty,” Radelet said. “They need to be aware of the inequalities in how this law is applied.”

Radelet revealed these inequalities during the lecture, accusing capital punishment laws of being biased against African-American offenders. He said that for African-Americans convicted of killing a white person, there is a 60 percent higher chance of the death penalty than if they killed an African-American.

“I hope people reflect on the moral dilemmas and the racial bias because of the death penalty. The history of the death penalty can’t be separated from the study of race,” Radelet said.

Senior Lisa Christian attended the lecture and felt all of the speakers did a good job presenting the information to students.

“I felt all of the speakers gave thorough information about capital punishment,” Christian said. “I got the chance to hear from some of the most experienced people in the field.”