Administering fairness
By Editorial
Professor David Popalisky's recent play, "Barred from Life," focused on the stories of Delbert Tibbs and James Newsome, two victims wrongfully sentenced to the death penalty over two decades ago.
Newsome sat on death row in Illinois for 15 years, until his acquittal, when the Supreme Court found insufficient evidence to incarcerate him. Tibbs, a black man, believes he was a victim of police manipulation and racial profiling. Their stories illustrate the flaws in the judicial system, flaws that undermine our confidence in the accuracy of decisions that decide on the fates of the accused.
In 2002, 71 people in 13 states were executed, according to the Bureau of Justice. The number of innocent inmates executed as a result of the death penalty system is impossible to calculate, but odds are that such cases happened at least once.
"Barred from Life" involves multiple artistic interpretations of the life stories of Tibbs and Newsome. The tragedy is expressed through dance and theater, and is intended to explore the injustices and inequities of the legal system.
Newsome, a victim of false identification, was imprisoned for 15 years for a murder he didn't commit. Presently, Newsome uses his $15 million dollar settlement from the state to travel around the country and share his experiences with others. Since his release, Newsome has earned a law degree from Northwestern, but said it is still difficult to get jobs because of his past conviction.
In 2000, then-Illinois governor George Ryan cleared his state's death row, commuting the sentences of 156 inmates, thereby adding more fuel to the death penalty debate. Illinois is the same state that wrongfully convicted Newsome. Ryan, too, correctly sees a flaw.
Since 1973, 113 people have been released from prison after evidence emerged of their innocence, according to Amnesty USA.
That's 113 admitted mistakes. That's 113 lives changed forever.
"Barred from Life," if anything, introduced this facet of the death penalty to the community, opening up discussion and debate.
The presence of these acquitted men on campus, coupled with the artistic endeavors of Popalisky, denote a desire to teach, to mull over and consider the lessons gleaned from the lives of men who have experienced firsthand the atrocities of a faulty criminal justice system.
Regardless of whether there are two or 2 million innocents on death row, one wrongfully accused person should suffice to alarm the public, to beg us to demand sufficient and unequivocal evidence of guilt before making a decision that could potentially destroy, and end, a life.
This page isn't taking a stand on capital punishment as an act; we are merely asking that the cautionary stories of Tibbs and Newsome be heeded, and that the death penalty be reconsidered and perhaps even suspended until a better system is put in place.