Tuesday, April 24, 2012

A Prison-Death Row Project with Roots in Africa & Texas Wants Interviews

The following project "stems from Mr McLean’s work with prisoners in Uganda, Kenya and Sierra Leone through the African Prisons Project http://www.africanprisons.org . This is an organisation Mr McLean founded, which works to bring dignity and hope to men, women and children in prisons in Africa through healthcare, education, access to justice and community reintegration. Much of APP’s work is with prisoners and staff on death row. Combined with visits to death row inmates in Kenya and Texas..."

Daniel Butler said...
Dear Sirs,

I write in my capacity as research assistant to Mr Alexander McLean, a PhD student at Middlesex University under the supervision of Professor William Schabas.

I am helping Mr McLean with his research into the death penalty, which has a particular focus on the effect, if any, that the death penalty has on those who are most intimately associated with its execution. This group has been identified as being: executioners; lawyers; staff who work on death row; chaplains; doctors and other prisoners on death row.

Much research has been conducted into the death penalty, and its benefits and weaknesses. However, little attention has been paid to the views of those who carry out capital sentences, on behalf of society.

Mr McLean’s desire is to contribute to the ongoing, international dialogue about the death penalty, by raising awareness of the views and impact it has on those that it touches most intimately, other than crime victims and their families, and of course the families of those who are executed.

This interest stems from Mr McLean’s work with prisoners in Uganda, Kenya and Sierra Leone through the African Prisons Project http://www.africanprisons.org . This is an organisation Mr McLean founded, which works to bring dignity and hope to men, women and children in prisons in Africa through healthcare, education, access to justice and community reintegration. Much of APP’s work is with prisoners and staff on death row. Combined with visits to death row inmates in Kenya and Texas, Mr McLean’s desire to learn more about the impact of the death penalty grew. By profession Mr McLean is a barrister. He is a member of the legal committee of the International Corrections and Prisons Association, and is a magistrate at Nottingham Magistrates’ Court in England.

I therefore request you to pass on my contact details to anyone who you think might be able to contribute to this research. I would like to spend about 45 minutes to one hour speaking with them. Interviews will be transcribed, but interview participants may remain anonymous.

I am also approaching others who have worked in a similar capacity to you in prisons all over the world.

Of course, participation in this research is fully voluntary. However, I believe that by sharing the experiences of those closely involved in the implementation of the death penalty with policy makers on an international level, this study will be a valuable tool in the debate about capital punishment.

I would be grateful if you would respond to this post at your earliest convenience (to my email address: danielhebutler@gmail.com), as Mr McLean’s research is now well under way. I would like to conduct interviews in April and May. I will conduct the interview, by telephone or Skype.

A letter of recommendation from Brigadier General H. Szmulewitz, Head of the International Corrections and Prisons Association Legal Committee is available on request.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Yours in anticipation,

Daniel Butler LLB LLM

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If a reader here is able to contribute to this project -- plz reply via
Mr. Butler's email:
email address: danielhebutler@gmail.com

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