itsnancymullane

Think. Think. Think before you do something you know is not a good choice. Most murders happen by people between the ages of 17-24, and 90% of them involve drugs and/or alcohol. A murder (or any crime for that matter) starts with one bad decision, that leads to another bad decision, that leads to a devastating act. Think about every thing you do, and ask yourself if you really want to take responsibility for what you are either doing, or about to do.

That's the thing. As a reporter if I publicly state I am "for the death penalty" or "against the death penalty", then when I go inside to report on the death penalty, I am carrying a bias, a perspective. My value as a reporter to both the men and women on death row, to the prison officials who are asked by society to incarcerate men and women on death row and to the public who listen to the stories, is that I don't have personal feelings when I'm reporting. And even now, I think that objectivity is important. What do YOU think about putting 750 people in CA in cell blocks for the rest of their lives and then executing them years, decades later?

Most prisoners I interviewed on death row said they were not guilty of their crimes. Only one inmate said he was guilty, and he committed suicide shortly after I interviewed him. You can listen to my interview with Justin Helzer here: http://www.lifeofthelaw.org/interview-justin-helzner/

Remember. I'm a reporter. I was given this incredible exclusive access to California's death row because of my credentials. That means, the prison officials had listened to my reporting and were fairly sure I wouldn't be biased. I'm sure if you asked yourself, you would have a pretty clear idea of what death row is like for the 750 men and women on CA death row. I know before I went inside death row, I did. But when I was walking the tiers, meeting the men in their cells, listening to their voices, looking in their eyes, all I wanted to do was tell their stories as honestly, and unemotionally as possible so people listening would have as unvarnished a picture of what we as a society have created. Death Row is so hidden. We convict a person and send them to a cell block to await their execution, but in 2014, we as a society don't have a clear sense of what that really means. My opportunity to see that reality, was extraordinary. Should it be changed? That's not for me to say. But unless we have more press access, no one will really know whether it should be changed or not. It's almost like it doesn't exist.

Yes. One inmate, Justin Helzer. There was a "visually impaired" sign hanging outside his cell door next to a wheelchair. When I asked to speak with him, he was open and willing, and his story was horrifying. He had tried to kill himself inside his cell by trying to puncture his eyes with bic pens. Instead of killing himself, he was blinded and paralyzed. His story said so much about how deeply depressing it is for the men I met on death row to be locked in their cells 23-24 hours a day for the rest of their lives.