The Texas Observer reported this a few weeks ago.

One of the Legislature’s leading voices on criminal justice issues has decided that teenage killers too young to face execution should also be exempt from being sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

“To me it’s a matter of fairness and consistency,” said state Sen. Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa, D-McAllen. “If the U.S. Supreme Court said to Texas and all the other states, ‘You cannot give these juvenile offenders the death penalty’ [which the Supreme Court did in 2005], then I believe the state of Texas should not be sending them to prison for life without parole.”

Hinojosa, a long-serving lawmaker who sits on the Senate Criminal Justice Committee (and led the House Corrections Committee during his final years as an eight-term state representative), plans to introduce legislation this session that would cap sentences for youthful offenders convicted of capital murder at life in prison, with the possibility of parole after 40 years behind bars.

Such a sentence would be in line with non–capital punishment death sentences handed down before the 2005 Legislature’s enactment of the life-without-parole law. Hinojosa says he decided to push for the new legislation after reading a recent article in the Observer examining the effects of the law (“The Life Penalty,” Nov. 28, 2008).

That law draws no distinction between offenders who commit capital murder before turning 18 and those who kill as adults.

“I think, for someone so young, there is a chance to rehabilitate their lives,” Hinojosa said.

Four under-18 offenders are now serving life-without-parole sentences in Texas. All were sentenced before the 2007 Legislature required the state’s district courts to report demographic information on capital murder cases to the state Office of Court Administration.

Students Against the Death Penalty is accepting nominations for the 2009 Youth Abolitionist of the Year Award. The Award is presented each year to a young person, or persons, under the age of 25 with a deep commitment to fighting the death penalty and a proven ability to transform this commitment into effective action. The recipients should have demonstrated leadership ability, creativity, and integrity.

Nominations for the Youth Abolitionist of the Year Award may be submitted at any time by sending an email to hooman(at)texasabolition.org describing in 500 worlds or less why this person merits the Youth Abolitionist of the Year Award. The deadline to submit nominations is March 1, 2009. Finalists might be asked to submit further supporting documents (letters of recommendation, articles by or about the candidate, etc.) Anyone may nominate a candidate, including members of the general public.

The winner will be announced at the 2009 Anti-Death Penalty Alternative Spring Break in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, March 16-20, 2009.

People who attend this project could put what they learn into action on Lobby Day Against the Death Penalty on March 24.

The Eye & Tooth Project!

With support from Amnesty International–Houston / Local Group #23

And performance space offered by Rude Mechs and The Off Center

How can citizens lobby more effectively for abolition of the death penalty in Texas?

How can we hone our ability to dialogue with multiple audiences on the injustice of
capital punishment, particularly when others disagree with us?

The Eye & Tooth Project is a Forum Theatre project that invites participants to explore the questions above—and other questions that arise in the process of working toward abolition. We’ll also discuss how we can help build momentum for bills related to the death penalty introduced in the 2009 session of the Texas Legislature.

What is Forum Theatre? Forum Theatre is an interactive theatre form devised by Brazilian artist/activist Augusto Boal for people of all levels of theatre experience (or no theatre experience whatsoever). Facilitators set up a process through which workshop participants create a short play. At the end of the workshop process, participants perform that play for spectators. Audience members are invited to call out “Stop!” at any moment and to step into the action to devise new approaches to the issues at the heart of the play. Audience interventions serve as springboards for dynamic discussion.

We welcome participants with a variety of relationships to this issue, from victims’ families to families of incarcerated persons or individuals on Death Row to lobbying groups and other interested citizens. In short, if you want to be there, we want you there!

Eye & Tooth-Austin has two phases:

Phase 1) An introductory/organizing workshop–THIS SUNDAY!

THIS Sunday, February 8th, 2009, from 1-5pm in Room 1.148 in the Winship Drama
Building (at the NW corner of 23rd and San Jacinto at the University of Texas at
Austin). We’ll introduce some basics of Forum Theatre and discuss directions for the
play we’ll work together to create during the March 6-8 workshop.

Phase 2) Weekend workshop and Forum Theatre performance, March 7 & 8.

Workshop Times: Saturday, March 7, 2009 from 10 am to 7:00 pm (with lunch break)
Sunday, March 8, 2009, from 12 noon to 6 pm (with snack break–we’ll provide snacks!)Workshop Location: Room 2.180, Winship Drama Building

(on the NW corner of 23rd and San Jacinto at the University of Texas at Austin)

Public Forum Theatre showing and discussion: Sunday, March 8 at 7:30 pm
Location: The Off Center @ 2211-A Hidalgo(Home of the Rude Mechs)

Email kellybhowe@yahoo.com to sign up for the workshop, so we can send any additional information as the workshop draws closer. Or if you can’t do the workshop, just come
join us for the public performance!

Facilitators: Kathleen Juhl (Southwestern University), Kelly Howe (UT-Austin), and
John Sullivan (UT-Medical Branch).

Necessary skills or experience: None. All you need to bring is your willingness to discuss why you’re invested in the issue of capital punishment. The facilitators will bring the rest.

Questions? Contact Kelly Howe at kellybhowe@yahoo.com or 502.558.9745 or Kathleen
Juhl at juhlk@southwestern.edu.

Tuesday March 24, 2009
Texas State Capitol
11th and Congress
Austin, Texas

Every Texas legislative session since 2003, the anti-death penalty community in Texas has rallied at the Texas capitol to lobby legislators to end the death penalty. The picture above is from Lobby Day 2007. In 2009, there have already been several bills filed that we will be lobbying in favor, including a bill to end the death penalty under the Law of Parties, an abolition bill, a death penalty study commission and moratorium on executions bill, and other issues.

Sponsored by Texas Moratorium Network, Texas Death Penalty Abolition Movement, Campaign to End the Death Penalty – Austin Chapter, Texas Death Penalty Education and Resource Center, Students Against the Death Penalty, the Abolish the Death Penalty Caucus of the Texas Democratic Party, Texas CURE, and People Organized in Defense of Earth and Her Resources (PODER), the Eye & Tooth Project: Forum Theatre on the Death Penalty, Kids Against the Death Penalty. and the Student Prison Caucus. (If your organization would like to participate or be one of the Lobby Day sponsors, contact us at 512 961 6389 or by email to admin@texasmoratorium.org)

Please make plans to be in Austin on Tuesday, March 24, so that we can all raise our voices together against the injustice of the Texas death penalty.

Below is the tentative schedule. We will announce more details and the rooms for all events later. You do not have to attend all events.

10 AM – Noon Lobbying Training Workshop
Location: University of Texas at Austin, Sanchez Building (College of Education) in the Cissy McDaniel Parker Dean’s Conference Room
located near Congress Ave and MLK, between University Avenue and the Blanton Museum of Art (just north of the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum)
(We can also meet with your group before Lobby Day and train you earlier, then you can meet your legislators in the morning. Contact us if you would like us to come brief you before Lobby Day)

12:00 Break for Lunch on your own (there is a cafeteria in the Capitol)

1 PM Press Conference in the House Speaker’s Committee Room 2W.6 in the Capitol

Afternoon: Visiting legislative offices and attending committee hearings (If the committees will be hearing any death penalty related bills, we will know five days before the event.)

5:30 PM Rally on the South Steps of the Capitol (Musical Guest: Aaron Blount)

If you are coming to Lobby Day, you can call the offices of your state senator and state representative and tell them you are coming to Austin on March 24 and would like to meet with someone in their office.

In addition to the Austin training on the morning of Lobby Day, there is a Houston training session on Saturday, March 14, at S.H.A.P.E. Center, at 3903 Almeda, from 2:00 until 4:00 pm.

You can find out who your legislators are by going to the link below and entering your address.

http://www.fyi.legis.state.tx.us/

Enter your home address.

After you click on the “Submit” button, you will see a screen with information for several elected officials. You only need to contact your State Senator and State Representative. Do not contact your U.S. Senators, U.S. Representative or your Board of Education member.

Texas U.S. Senators (DO NOT CONTACT)
U.S. Senators represent the entire state. Texas’ current U.S. Senators are Senator John Cornyn and Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison. See their websites for current contact information.

Texas U.S. Representative (DO NOT CONTACT)

Texas State Senator (THIS IS THE ONE YOU WANT TO CONTACT)

Texas State Representative (THIS IS THE ONE YOU WANT TO CONTACT)

Texas State Board of Education Member (DO NOT CONTACT)

Please only contact your STATE Senator and STATE representative.

Do NOT contact your U.S. Representative or your U.S. Senator (Cornyn and Huthcison).

Only call 512 area code phone numbers followed by a 463 prefix. Again, make sure you are calling a 512-463-xxxx number.

For a list of all Texas State Senators, please visit:

http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/Members/Members.aspx?Chamber=S

For a list of all members of the Texas House Representatives, please visit:

http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/Members/Members.aspx?Chamber=H

Senator Eliot Shapleigh Speaking at 2077 Lobby Day (He starts speaking at second 44 in video)

Kerry Cook speaking at 2007 Lobby Day. Kerry is an innocent person who spent 20 years on Texas Death Row.

Tuesday March 24, 2009
Texas State Capitol
11th and Congress
Austin, Texas

Every Texas legislative session since 2003, the anti-death penalty community in Texas has rallied at the Texas capitol to lobby legislators to end the death penalty. the picture above is from Lobby Day 2007. In 2009, there have already been several bills filed that we will be lobbying in favor, including a bill to end the death penalty under the Law of Parties, an abolition bill, a death penalty study commission and moratorium on executions bill, and other issues.

Sponsored by Texas Moratorium Network, Texas Death Penalty Abolition Movement, Campaign to End the Death Penalty – Austin Chapter, Texas Death Penalty Education and Resource Center, Students Against the Death Penalty, Texas CURE, the Abolish the Death Penalty Caucus of the Texas Democratic Party and People Organized in Defense of Earth and Her Resources (PODER), the Eye & Tooth Project: Forum Theatre on the Death Penalty, Kids Against the Death Penalty. and the Student Prison Caucus. (If your organization would like to participate or be one of the Lobby Day sponsors, contact us at 512 961 6389 or by email to admin@texasmoratorium.org)

Please make plans to be in Austin on Tuesday, March 24, so that we can all raise our voices together against the injustice of the Texas death penalty.

Powered by Wufoo
Below is the tentative schedule. We will announce more details and the rooms for all events later.

10 AM – Noon Lobbying Training Workshop and Orientation to the State Capitol
Location: University of Texas at Austin, Sanchez Building (College of Education) in the Cissy McDaniel Parker Dean’s Conference Room
located near Congress Ave and MLK, between University Avenue and the Blanton Museum of Art (just north of the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum)
(We can also meet with your group before Lobby Day and train you earlier, then you can meet your legislators in the morning. Contact us if you would like us to come brief you before Lobby Day)

12:00 Break for Lunch on your own (there is a cafeteria in the Capitol)

1 PM Press Conference in the House Speaker’s Committee Room 2W.6 in the Capitol

Afternoon: Visiting legislative offices and attending committee hearings (If the committees will be hearing any death penalty related bills, we will know five days before the event.)

5:30 PM Rally on the South Steps of the Capitol (Musical Guest: Aaron Blount)

If you are coming to Lobby Day, you can call the offices of your state senator and state representative and tell them you are coming to Austin on March 24 and would like to meet with someone in their office.

In addition to the Austin training on the morning of Lobby Day, there is a Houston training session on Saturday, March 14, at S.H.A.P.E. Center, at 3903 Almeda, from 2:00 until 4:00 pm.

You can find out who your legislators are by going to the link below and entering your address.

http://www.fyi.legis.state.tx.us

Enter your home address.

After you click on the “Submit” button, you will see a screen with information for several elected officials. You only need to contact your State Senator and State Representative. Do not contact your U.S. Senators, U.S. Representative or your Board of Education member.

Texas U.S. Senators (DO NOT CONTACT)
U.S. Senators represent the entire state. Texas’ current U.S. Senators are Senator John Cornyn and Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison. See their websites for current contact information.

Texas U.S. Representative (DO NOT CONTACT)

Texas State Senator (THIS IS THE ONE YOU WANT TO CONTACT)

Texas State Representative (THIS IS THE ONE YOU WANT TO CONTACT)

Texas State Board of Education Member (DO NOT CONTACT)

Please only contact your STATE Senator and STATE representative.

Do NOT contact your U.S. Representative or your U.S. Senator (Cornyn and Huthcison).

Only call 512 area code phone numbers followed by a 463 prefix. Again, make sure you are calling a 512-463-xxxx number.

For a list of all Texas State Senators, please visit:

http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/Members/Members.aspx?Chamber=S

For a list of all members of the Texas House Representatives, please visit:

http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/Members/Members.aspx?Chamber=H

Senator Eliot Shapleigh Speaking at 2077 Lobby Day (He starts speaking at second 44 in video)

Kerry Cook speaking at 2007 Lobby Day. Kerry is an innocent person who spent 20 years on Texas Death Row.