'Preciate Your Service NGHR.' Report Details the Overrepresentation of Military Veterans on Death Row and "the battlefield-to-prison pipeline" for Soldiers (human resources—walking fodder)
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ACCORDING TO FUNKTIONARY:
soldiers – tools (living human resources—walking fodder); corporate mercenaries used by the legistraitors, wordsymthologists, journalists, and politicians to impose the will of their Corporate masters and imperialistic soothsayers (i.e., CrimethInc.). “It is impossible to give the soldier a good education without making him a deserter. His natural foe is the government that drills him.” ~H.D. Thoreau. Anyone overstanding the real cost of war (not counting the costs of perpetrating it) and the fictitious nature of Corporate State and the real benefactors behind the scenes—has to become a conscientious objector or an enemy outpost in one’s own (controlled by another) mind. The ideologues of vanity manipulate the power-hungry purveyors of profit-motive insanity into perpetrating crimes against humanity. (See: GI Bill, Citizen DUPE, CABS, Class, Mass & Souldier)
TARGETING BLACK VETERANS. From [HERE] The Death Penalty Information Center has released new data and analysis about the treatment of military veterans accused of capital crimes. Forgotten Service, Lasting Wounds: Military Veterans and the Death Penaltyreveals that about 200 military veterans are currently sentenced to death nationwide and that one of every seven people executed in the modern death penalty era was a veteran.
“Our research shows that the military service of capital defendants is often minimized or forgotten, even when the experience has been life altering,” Robin M. Maher, Executive Director of the Death Penalty Information Center said in a statement. “Veterans’ untreated physical and psychological wounds can result in serious addiction and behavior problems that juries should meaningfully understand before making life-or-death sentencing decisions. Unfortunately, that does not happen in too many death penalty cases.”
Indeed, researchers found that many of the 226 military veterans executed since 1972 were put to death without a jury ever hearing meaningful information about their service—even though the Supreme Court has recognized that military service can provide powerful evidence against imposing the death penalty.
Seven veterans have been executed so far this year, including Jeffrey Hutchinson, who suffered from the physical and psychological hazards of military service, including Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, traumatic brain injury, and neurotoxin exposure, according to the report.
Researchers found that 40% of veterans sentenced to death had experienced addiction, compared to 11% of all veterans and 12% of the general public.
Veterans are overrepresented among people sentenced to death across the country—the data shows they make up about 10% of people facing execution while only 6% of the general public are veterans.
Of veterans who served in active combat, 66% fought in Vietnam, according to the report.
Three more veterans are scheduled for execution before the end of the year.
