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Ralph Nader
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Ralph Nader opposes the death penalty. Among the "ten reasons why there is no place in the Democratic Party for people who hold to their principles and progressive programs," Nader said in 2004: "Kerry supported the Clinton crime bills, including the expansion of the federal death penalty in 1996 legislation."
Q: Isn’t the death penalty really a states’ rights issue? A: "Well, it used to be, but now there are numerous federal crimes which provide for the death penalty, that’s a recent development. And a president, I think, should take a strong stand. The death penalty has been shown, in study after study, not to deter homicides; it has been shown to be discriminatorily applied to the poor and the defenseless, especially defendants who don’t have lawyers who stay awake at trial."
CNN: “Burden of Proof” Aug 9, 2000
Q: What impact could a president have on the death penalty? A: "First of all, moral leadership [via] the bully pulpit. And second, there are now increasing numbers of federal crimes that provide for the death penalty right under the jurisdiction of the president." Q: What would be your message to Bush about the double execution expected tonight? A: "Well, if I was Bush I would be pretty ashamed. I would do what Governor Ryan did in Illinois, and declare a moratorium, or urge a moratorium in Texas, in order to determine how many defendants have been adequately represented by competent lawyers, and to review the whole process by which those who get executed in Texas are overwhelmingly minorities. And crimes are committed by all segments of society, and I would hope that George Bush will wake up to it because it is going to haunt him for the next few weeks, there are going to be all these executions coming. There is one now involving a retarded man."
CNN: “Burden of Proof” Aug 9, 2000
"Since I was a law student, I have been against the death penalty. It does not deter. It is severely discriminatory against minorities, especially since they’re given no competent legal counsel defense in many cases. It’s a system that has to be perfect. You cannot execute one innocent person. No system is perfect. And to top it off, for those of you who are interested in the economics it, it costs more to pursue a capital case toward execution than it does to have full life imprisonment without parole."
Meet the Press interview Jun 25, 2000
Emailed response from the Nader campaign's communications director on Oct. 18, 2008: “Ralph Nader supports hate crime legislation.”
"In 2000, [Ralph Nader] supported strengthening hate crimes legislation"
“Addiction should never be treated as a crime. It has to be treated as a health problem. We do not send alcoholics to jail in this country. Over 500,000 people are in our jails who are nonviolent drug users.”
New York Times Sep 9, 2000
[Nader] Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding crime: [Did NOT indicate support] a) Support mandatory jail sentences for selling illegal drugs. [Did NOT indicate support] c) Impose "truth in sentencing" for violent criminals so they serve full sentences with no chance of parole.
"Repeal mandatory sentencing and "three strikes and you're out laws" and return power to judges to sentence people as individuals within voluntary guidelines. Mandatory sentencing laws coincide with the rapid rise of people incarcerated since the mid-1980s. This is especially true for the rapid rise of incarceration of African Americans. Handling substance abuse as a health problem more than as a law enforcement issue will slow the expansion of the number of drug offenders arrested and incarcerated. Regarding people already in prison, first, reforms in sentencing should be made retroactive. It is an injustice to say these laws are not fair, but then keep people incarcerated based on those unfair laws. Second, many people - indeed hundreds of thousands - are being released annually. Government, rather than providing assistance to these people to help them make the most of their lives, has put roadblocks in front of them. We need to remove the roadblocks, and make it easier for people to get a good education and a good job. Along with this we need to encourage them to rejoin the community as full citizens by restoring their right to vote."
"The criminal justice system is also broken--so badly that one hardly knows where to begin describing the breakdown. We can start with the war on drugs, since commentators across the political spectrum recognize its lunacy. We pour almost endless resources (roughly $50 billion each year) into catching, trying, and incarcerating people who primarily harm themselves, thereby damaging and endangering communities and draining crucial resources from the police, courts, and prisons that could be used to combat serious street crime[and Corporate crime] that directly violate the public's liberty, health, safety, trust, and financial well-being. As with alcoholics and nicotine addicts, the approach to drug addicts should be rehabilitation, not incarceration."
The Good Fight, by Ralph Nader, p. 47 Jul 6, 2004
We favor innovative sentencing and punishment options, including community service for first-time offenders and “Drug Court” diversion programs. We support alternative sentencing for non-violent crimes.
Green Party Platform, as ratified at the National Convention Jun 25, 2000
We encourage our political leaders to remember that “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” We believe it is appropriate to focus on where our societal intervention can be most successful and effective.
Green Party Platform, as ratified at the National Convention Jun 25, 2000
"The criminal justice system is also broken--so badly that one hardly knows where to begin describing the breakdown. We can start with the war on drugs, since commentators across the political spectrum recognize its lunacy. We pour almost endless resources (roughly $50 billion each year) into catching, trying, and incarcerating people who primarily harm themselves, thereby damaging and endangering communities and draining crucial resources from the police, courts, and prisons that could be used to combat serious street crime[and Corporate crime] that directly violate the public's liberty, health, safety, trust, and financial well-being. As with alcoholics and nicotine addicts, the approach to drug addicts should be rehabilitation, not incarceration."
The Good Fight, by Ralph Nader, p. 47 Jul 6, 2004
"The way to go is to look at drug addiction as a rehabilitation challenge, focus on youngsters in terms of prevention, have community policing where the police work and live in the community, which is the best way to make a community safe."
The Fresno (CA) Bee Oct 22, 2000, by John Ellis
"Addiction should never be treated as a crime. It has to be treated as a health problem. We do not send alcoholics to jail in this country. Over 500,000 people are in our jails who are nonviolent drug users.” For other drugs, like heroin, he advocated programs like methadone maintenance and needle exchanges that focus on treatment of addiction and prevention of health problems."
New York Times, Sep 9, 2000