Kaczynski: death penalty flawed, too costly

By CATHERINE L. FOLEY
THE JOURNAL NEWS

(Original publication: March 12, 2005)
 

David Kaczynski was disappointed the state Senate voted to reinstate the death penalty Wednesday, a system he says kills innocent people and costs taxpayers millions.

Kaczynski, executive director of New Yorkers Against the Death Penalty and brother to "Unabomber" Ted Kaczynski, was honored last night as Public Citizen of the Year by the New York chapter of the National Association of Social Workers.

In an interview before the awards dinner at the Holiday Inn in Montebello, Kaczynski said the state passed a flawed death penalty bill in 1995, which was ruled unconstitutional by a state Court of Appeals last summer.

"The last time we passed a death penalty bill, there were no public hearings and the end result was a bad bill," he said. "It was particularly irresponsible to do it the same way again. They didn't hold any kind of hearings. They didn't study the issue. There was a floor debate that took about two hours."

Developments in the last 10 years make the case against the death penalty more compelling, Kaczynski said.

For instance, the state now has life without parole as a sentencing option, he said. "Which means that we can effectively remove the worst offenders from society at a fraction of a cost and not run the risk of executing an innocent person."

He also said with advancements in technology, DNA testing has been used to prove the innocence of many death row inmates. "When we ask (the government) to play God and render divine judgment, as we do with the death penalty, too often we see that terrible mistakes are made."

Kaczynski said state politicians should also consider the burden they place on taxpayers when approving the death penalty. He said the state spent about $200 million on the seven people sentenced to death after the 1995 bill was passed.

"At some point you've got to ask yourself, 'Why are we investing so many resources in a program of vengeance that doesn't work anyway, when we could be investing resources in crime prevention, support for law enforcement and assistance to victims?'"

Sen. Tom Morahan, R-New City, voted for reinstating the death penalty. The bill is now in the Democratic-led Assembly.

"I believe it's a matter of justice when I consider the families and the victims of horrendous murder cases," Morahan said. "It's concern for the victims and the victims' families. It's not a matter of vengeance. It's not a matter of what it costs."

Kaczynski, 55, lives in Schenectady with his wife, Linda Patrik. In 1996, he said he faced a moral and ethical dilemma when he decided to turn his brother in to federal authorities.

"I faced a terrible crisis in my own life. My background in social work helped me to deal with that crisis in a positive way," Kaczynski, who worked with troubled youths in the South End of Albany before joining the movement against the death penalty, said. "One of the values of the social work profession is a sense of personal responsibility. When Ted was arrested, they actually found, underneath his bed in a package, another live bomb and some of my family has always felt, 'Thank God we came forward because if we hadn't, probably some innocent person would have been seriously injured or killed."

Ted Kaczynski pleaded guilty in 1998, in exchange for a prison sentence of life without parole.

Gail Golden of New City, who was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award last night, said David Kaczynski's struggle in deciding to turn in his brother moves her to tears.

"He has been one of my heroes," she said. "The work that he does is really heroic work. He's really helped push the movement forward, I think, a great deal."