14,1987 Monday, September 14, 1987/The Battalion/Page 9 on death row —escape execution itiOfjof 42 killed in past decade ate word ASHINGTON (AP) — One out of jevery 42 death row inmates has been executed in the decade since the Supreme Court reinstated capi tal jpunishment, the federal govern- iment reported Sunday. \ NIH here were 2,839 convicts under a death sentence from 1977 to 1986 and 68 of them were executed, in- ii'Jitiust, rttpt :c i u fc{ n g 18 last year, the Bureau of 11 i 11 Justice Statistics said. There have i\ Niunt Mjsvjjggji more than 200,000 murders in " ( ' r: :he|past decade, tie special prov g \ .iher Atlomt Wince 1977, one-third of the of- iii fenders on death row carried out General \\ successful court appeals or obtained HtiM-ii todciM cWunutations of their sentences, 'dv>n is one and 41 died while awaiting execu tion A total of 1,781 inmates were if Bork. on death row at the end of last year, including 18 women. f those under a death sentence in tire past decade, some 2.4 percent weire executed, including 2.7 per- cent of the white offenders and 2 pen ent of the blacks. At the end of last year, 57 percent of those or death row were white, 42 percent black, and 1 percent were American Indians or Asian Americans. More than 60 percent of those awaiting execution are being held in the South, 17 percent are in the West, 15 percent in the Midwest and 5 percent in the Northeast. Among the 68 executed since 1977, it took an average of six years and four months from the time the sentence was imposed until it was carried out. For the 18 executed last year, the average time spent await ing execution was seven years and two months. Last year, 10 inmates were exe cuted in Texas, three in Florida an one each in Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia. A total of 297 people were sen tenced to death in 1986, while 64 had their death sentences vacated or commuted. At the end of last year, 254 con demned inmates were being held in Florida prisons, more than any other state. Texas had 236 convicts facing the death penalty, California had 176, Georgia 111 and Illinois 101. As of last Dec. 31, the death pen alty was authorized in 37 states and by federal statute. The last federal execution was in 1963. The Supreme Court held that capital punishment was constitu tional under strictly defined condi tions in 1976 and the first execution following that decision was carried out in 1977. will conducitss Vietnam announces amnesty for prisoners i*xno ml me most sure. Meueni said Si a Yale vorked f irk has sc Appeals i appellau in impoi twaii shed §«ANGKOK, Thailand (AP) — Vietnam is releasing 6,685 prison ers, including generals and senior officials of the South Vietnamese re gime it toppled in 1975, the official Vietnam News Agency said Sunday. The agency said the communist government ordered the amnesty and reduced the terms for 5,320 other prisoners to mark two anniver saries. Among those granted amnesty were 480 military and civilian per sonnel of the former South Viet namese government, including two ministers, 18 administrative officials, nine officers of general rank, 248 field officers and 117 junior officers, it said. M?i$They were all convicted of crimes against the people,” said the agency, monitored in Bangkok. flfti'ter the communist victory over South Vietnam in 1975 following the withdrawal of U.S. forces, tens of thousands of South Vietnamese were sent to re-education camps. The official news agency’s report said the Council of Ministers granted the amnesty to mark Na tional Day Sept. 2 and the 42nd an niversary Aug. 19 of Vietnam’s “Au gust Revoludon,” when a communist government was first proclaimed in North Vietnam. It said 365 prisoners were re leased in Ho Chi Minh City — for merly Saigon — where authorities “provided material and moral condi tions for their quick reintegration into social life.” After their victory, the commu nists set up a network of up to 100 re-educadon camps that critics de scribed as the “Vietnamese Gulag.” In 1980, Hanoi told the London- based human rights organization Amnesty International that 1 million people underwent short re-educa tion courses and 40,000 were de tained for longer periods. Western sources believe that up to 200,000 South Vietnamese spent at least a year in the camps, which range from “model” institutions vis ited by foreigners to remote jungle shacks where inmates die of malnu trition and disease. Former inmates and other sources interviewed in recent years said the systematic brutality found in early Soviet labor camps was not the policy in Vietnam, but that there were oc casional beatings, torture and execu tions. intentions, we ni 11 lx* Iruittul." to, monitored in / whether Khamc t run’s final word I:*-fire resolution, neither accepted _ c solution, tadcast <|uoted fc “no peace-seekini *d to the Nureu! I eat in World Vi hat) as instigaw war “is acceDtaw Auto union workers prepare for strike as deadline nears DEARBORN, -Mich. (AP) — Strike preparations are all but com plete at the locals of the United Auto Workers as negotiators for Ford Mo tor Co. and the union face today’s contract deadline. For the 104,000 rank-and-file Ford Motor Co. workers, little was left to do but wait for word on whether union and company bar gainers would reach a contract by thej 11:59 p.m. deadline today. The talks resumed Sunday after a Satur day session that lasted late into the night. The top Ford bargainers, Vice President Peter Pestillo and Labor Relations Director Stanley Surma, said talks with Ford would go all night if necessary. UAW President Owen Bieber planned to meet with the union’s 23- member executive board Sunday evening, but a UAW spokesman de clined to give a reason for the gath ering of union executives and re gional directors. • mined further, * mil this, they accept thei iey face a mores we will use we, deployed yet," lie He did notelabo solution called uncondition 1 of troops to ini' t aized borders an jrrisoners. ■ upied part of Ir* 1 eminsula in Febr'J L s pockets of fcasra and otln 1 < 30-mile front. =ani said before ived in Tehran 1 ■ t risk an utic° because it does rs allies, which 1 United States. bnamen- *raw Doubles -ays 8:00 pm = Dress Code -ar Lubys 46-2625 FUDENT GOVERNMENT TEXAS A AM UNIVERSITY FRESHMEN ELECTIONS FILING FOR CLASS OFFICERS AND SENATORS SEPTEMBER 14-18 BETWEEN 9 AM AND 4PM AT 214 PAVILION Cjet tf^voivcA' J ATTENTION FRESHMEN To get acquainted with our salon, our stylists are giving the FIRST CUT to beginning freshmen for only 1 BUCK! Why? We're nuts, got toys in our attics and have a lot of confidence that you'll be back once you see how we do. ty i pf' hair design 846-HAIR 3910 Old College Rd., Bryan A Few Rules: 1. Freshman ID required- Fee slip 2. Appts only! No walk or squeezed-ins! Call early- When appts are Filled up... Sorry! 3. No corps cuts 4. Expires Sat 9/19/87 5. Ad Required Merrill Lynch Presents an ORP Seminar College Station Hilton Tuesday, September 15, 1987 6:30 sign in & refreshments 7:00 Guest Speaker for reservations call 776-5636 Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Inc. 3131 East 29th Street, Bryan, Texas 77802 Merrill Lynch ©1987 Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Inc. Member SIPC. University Employees The Choice is Yours. Texas Health Plans protects your good health at an affordable price. You now have an alternative to traditional group health coverage. Texas Health Plans is the option which provides coverage of all the health care services you are likely to need — including preventive care — for one monthly premium. There are no large routine doctor bills or any routine claim forms. Texas Health Plans has been chosen by thousands because we offer more than 150 choices. Texas Health Plans members choose from more than 150 participating physicians in private practice throughout the mid-Texas area. That’s one more reason why thousands of people have chosen Texas Health Plans as their source of prepaid health care. Shouldn’t you try Texas Health Plans? Ask your group administrator how you can enroll today. A healthy idea. A quality choice Tfexas Health Plans, Inc. (817) 778-5233 or 1-800-792-3497 A qualified Health Maintenance Organization. /■