This summer KCADP is helping to sponsor four FREE speaking events in central Kansas. In late June, Bess Klassen-Landis, whose mother was brutally murdered in 1969, will be speaking to communities in central Kansas about the power of forgiveness. Bess was able to overcome her own Post Traumatic Stress Disorder symptoms by forgiving her mother’s murderer and now tours the … [Read more...] about Bess Klassen-Landis to Speak in Central Kansas
Updates
Victim Voices: Marilyn J. Trechter "My Own Journey As an Abolitionist"
TO ACT JUSTLY, TO LOVE MERCY AND TO WALK HUMBLY My Own Journey As An Abolitionist by Marilyn J. Trechter My own journey toward abolition actually began on April 4, 1968. On the day before my sixteenth birthday, Martin Luther King, Jr. was murdered. What impressed me was that I was so saddened by the riots that occurred as a response to the murder. This man was an Apostle … [Read more...] about Victim Voices: Marilyn J. Trechter "My Own Journey As an Abolitionist"
A Solemn Anniversary
April 23rd marks the 17th anniversary of the reinstatement of Kansas’ death penalty. Prior to 1994, Kansas had been a death penalty free state since the 1970s. Though Kansas has not executed an inmate under the current law, the same problems that led 16 other states to abolish the death penalty are gathering greater notice in Kansas. We already know that the Kansas death … [Read more...] about A Solemn Anniversary
Sister Helen on Community Bridge
During her visit to Kansas, Sr. Helen Prejean did a radio interview with the local news program "Community Bridge." Click below to listen to the interview. Sister Helen on Community Bridge … [Read more...] about Sister Helen on Community Bridge
KCADP Recognizes National Crime Victims' Rights Week
The National Crime Victims’ Rights Week, which takes place April 10-16 this year, is an annual observance promoting victims’ rights and honoring crime victims and those who advocate on their behalf. This year’s theme for National Crime Victims’ Rights Week is “Reshaping the future, Honoring the past,” and the week will be observed through a number of memorial ceremonies and … [Read more...] about KCADP Recognizes National Crime Victims' Rights Week
Death Row Defense Attorney Discusses Replacing the Death Penalty
Last Friday, NPR’s Fresh Air replayed an interview with Attorney David Dow, who has defended death row inmates in Texas for nearly two decades. Dow recently wrote a book, The Autobiography of an Execution, that discusses replacing the death penalty with life without parole. The book is now available in paperback. From NPR: “Attorney David Dow has made a career out of … [Read more...] about Death Row Defense Attorney Discusses Replacing the Death Penalty
Death Row Exoneree Juan Melendez in Wichita
This week, the Criminal Justice Student Association at Wichita State University hosted Juan Melendez, a death row exoneree, for two speaking events on campus. At one event, more than 120 Kansans came to hear Melendez’s story of his wrongful conviction and his exoneration from Florida’s death row. Juan Melendez, exonerated in 2002, told in great detail the story of how … [Read more...] about Death Row Exoneree Juan Melendez in Wichita
Kansas Faith Leaders Call for Repeal of the Death Penalty
Over the last week, several Kansas faith leaders have come together to call on the Kansas Legislature to replace the death penalty with life without parole. Citing reasons ranging from helping the families of murder victims to the sanctity of human life, these faith leaders urged the Kansas Legislature to give the death penalty serious debate. "Whether you approach … [Read more...] about Kansas Faith Leaders Call for Repeal of the Death Penalty
Illinois Governor Signs Death Penalty Repeal Into Law
Today, Illinois Governor Pat Quinn signed the death penalty repeal bill into law, officially ending capital punishment in Illinois! As you celebrate this victory, please take a moment to help build the momentum toward abolition in Kansas. Right now, HB 2323, which would repeal the Kansas death penalty and replace it with a life sentence without the possibility of parole, … [Read more...] about Illinois Governor Signs Death Penalty Repeal Into Law
Sister Helen Prejean visits Kansas
National anti-death penalty advocate Sister Helen Prejean visited Kansas last week to help raise awareness of death penalty abolition work in the state. During her visit, Sr. Helen attended a staged reading of the play Dead Man Walking, based on her book of the same name, at Washburn University. Following the reading, Sr. Helen led a discussion with more than 200 people in … [Read more...] about Sister Helen Prejean visits Kansas