The Life of David Gayle 7:00 PM Kathryn Ohman Theatre (McCaskill Hall) Wednesday, October 11, 2006
The Life of David Gale tells the fictional story of a philosophy professor, David Gale, who was dedicated to the abolition of the death penalty and who was sentenced to death for the rape and murder of a colleague and fellow abolitionist. The film was directed by Alan Parker and stars Kevin Spacey as Gale and Kate Winslet as Bitsey Bloom, the young journalist whom Gale commissions to prove his innocence.
The UW-Superior student Amnesty International Group is sponsoring a series of films on Wednesday evenings. These films are about the death penalty and part of Amnesty's campaign to end the use of the death penalty. You are invited to join us. Discussion to follow.
Attend the film, write a two-page or longer reaction paper, and 5 points will be added to your test score total.
As you write your reaction paper, consider the following things about the death penalty itself:
1.	The death penalty is a violation of the basic human right to life, and the right to freedom from cruel, inhuman degrading treatment or punishment. These rights are guaranteed by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
2.	Nationally 123 persons in 25 states have been released from death row due to evidence of wrongful conviction. The criminal justice system is a human system, prone to mistakes. Even seemingly simple mistakes can put innocent persons on death row.
3.	In study after study the death penalty has been shown to be fraught with geographical and racial disparities. If one is white and or wealthy, one is unlikely to receive the death penalty. If one is poor or a person of color, one is much more likely to receive the death penalty.
4.	In nations and states where the death penalty has been abolished, the incidence of violent crime has actually decreased. The death penalty is not a deterrent. It creates an environment and culture where violence is condoned.
5.	A total of 125 countries (out of 196) have abolished the death penalty in law or practice.
6.	The majority of religious communities nationwide oppose the death penalty as a violation of human rights and a perpetuation of violence in our society.