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UA law prof part of death penalty protest group

Wildcat File Photo Arizona Daily Wildcat "I'm opposed to the death penalty for lots of reasons. It's inhumane (and) morally wrong for the state to kill people." Andrew Silverman UA law professor

Andrew Silverman is a busy man.

In addition to his duties as the convener of the University of Arizona human labor rights task force, Silverman - a UA law professor, faculty senator and key figure in last spring's Students Against Sweatshops sit-in - extends his support for human rights beyond campus issues.

Silverman is a long-time member of the Coalition of Arizonans to Abolish the Death Penalty - a Tucson-based organization advocating the abolition of capital punishment.

As a member of both its steering and legislative committees, Silverman has been vital in leading the way for the proposal of a state law that would ban the execution of inmates found to be mentally disabled.

Though protecting the rights of mentally incompetent death row inmates is the focus of this particular bill, Silverman is opposed to the overall institution of the death penalty.

"I'm opposed to the death penalty for lots of reasons," Silverman said. "It's inhumane (and) morally wrong for the state to kill people."

A goal Silverman would like to ultimately achieve is convincing state government officials to place a moratorium on the death penalty, halting the execution of death row prisoners.

"In 1997 the American Bar Association called for a moratorium on the death penalty because they found certain problems with the way the death penalty was being administered," he said.

This paved the way for other states - including Arizona, which has 125 inmates on death row - to bring ideas for the cessation of capital punishment to their legislative bodies.

"That gave impetus to the movement around the country that's going on," Silverman said.

His interest in a death penalty moratorium has also led him to create a workshop on the subject that he will present at this year's statewide conference for the CAADP.

On Saturday, Oct. 9 in Casa Grande, the conference will showcase to the state population for the first time a discussion of Silverman's beliefs.

Katherine Norgard, a Tucson psychologist and co-founder of CAADP, said she is aware of Silverman's dedication to the death penalty issue.

"He's behind the scenes doing work that gets little thanks," she said. "He understands that fear and desperation are the roots of violence."

The violence is the continued use of the death penalty, Norgard said.

Ann Nichols, an associate professor of social work at the Arizona State University School of Social Work in Tucson, said Silverman is extremely committed to his cause.

"He's dependable - he sticks around and does the work," said Nichols, who is also a steering committee member.

However, Silverman is simply concerned with suspending prisoner executions.

"There are innocent people who have been given the death penalty," he said. "That also gave a lot of impetus to the notion that we should abolish the death penalty."

Silverman said the moratorium idea will spark interest among people who participate in the coalition, but "hopefully beyond that as well."

"I'd hope that people would look at the idea of a moratorium in a serious way," Silverman said. "I hope to educate people, increase the interest in this issue, (and) help set the direction for the coalition next year."