Action Alert: Support Safe Release for Ex-Offenders & Oppose Death Penalty Expansion

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Action Alert: Support Safe Release for Ex-Offenders & Oppose Death Penalty Expansion

May 17, 2011

Support Safe Release of Ex-Offenders and

Oppose Death Penalty Expansion

Take Action Now!

The Safe Release Bill (SB 1014 - support) and the death penalty expansion bill (SB 377 - oppose) are both in the House Calendars committee. Please contact the committee members today and ask them to support SB 1014 and oppose SB 377. See below for a sample message and contact information for the committee members.

Sample Message: "Hello, my name is Name and I am a Catholic in City , Texas. I support efforts to help ex-offenders transition into society and therefore support SB 1014. Without this law, county jails may release inmates during the night, which hurts inmates' chances of effective transition and may even lead to their becoming victims of human trafficking. As a Catholic I believe that all human life is sacred, and that the state should not take the life of any human being, therefore I oppose the use of the death penalty and specifically SB 377, which expands the use of the death penalty. While it is always a tragedy when someone's life is taken, we cannot respond to violence with violence. Thank you for your time. For more information you can contact the Texas Catholic Conference at 512-339-9882."

Please act by May 20, 2011. If you contact the office and this alert has already expired, you may ask for your legislator's position and thank him or her or express your disappointment accordingly. Please feel free to write to us at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it to let us know about your advocacy experience and about any responses you receive.

Our Catholic Faith

“We believe that capital punishment contributes to a climate of violence in our state.

This cycle of violence has been diminished by life imprisonment without parole. The

words of Ezekiel are a powerful reminder that repentance not revenge, conversion,

not death are better guides for public policy on the death penalty than the current

policy of violence for violence, death for death."

-Bishop Curtis Guillory, Diocese of Beaumont

During this session's Catholic Faith in Action Advocacy Day, Catholics advocated on both of the issues in this alert. We support the safe release of ex-offenders SB 1014, which prohibits county jails from releasing inmates from 7pm to 7am, in order to safely transition ex-offenders into the community, and to prevent female offenders from becoming victims of human trafficking. Our criminal justice system should rehabilitate offenders, and do its best to ensure that offenders do not re-offend. Releasing ex-offenders, who have no contacts to pick them up during the night, with minimal resources is dangerous, irresponsible, and hurts the chances of these individuals gaining access to vital services and assistance that our chaplains tell us are essential in the first 72 hours after an ex-offender is released from prison. Read more: Testimony in Support of Safe Release of Former Offenders – Support SB 1014.

Furthermore, we advocated for an end to the use of the death penalty. The Texas Catholic Bishops oppose the use of the death penalty as a means of punishment or a deterrent to crime because there are alternative means to protect society available to us. Although use of the death penalty in the United States is decreasing, the State of Texas continues to lead the nation in terms of the number of executions carried out each year.” These statistics and policies reflect legislative action at the federal and state levels that is adopted by legislators seeking to appear "tough on crime" in response to often sensational media coverage of crime. Those who commit terrible, violent crimes must be incarcerated, both as just punishment and in order to protect society. We stand in solidarity with victims and their loved ones. However, when it comes to matters of life and death, morality and common sense call for justice, mercy, and for careful safeguards. Showing mercy does not mean neglecting the administration of justice or that people will go unpunished. Showing mercy does mean exhibiting compassion toward all of our brothers and sisters, and providing them with an opportunity for atonement and rehabilitation. Read more: Expansion of the Use of the Death Penalty - Oppose SB 377.

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Our Mission The primary purpose of the Conference is to encourage and foster cooperation and communication among the dioceses and the ministries of the Catholic Church of Texas. A major function of the Conference is to be the public policy arm of the Conference's Board of Directors, the bishops of Texas, before the Texas legislature, the Texas delegation in Congress, and state agencies. The public policy issues addressed by the Conference include institutional concerns of the Catholic Church as well as issues related to Catholic moral and social teachings. Learn more about us.

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