As a British grandmother faces execution in Texas, Reprieve recreates her Death Row cell right here in London.
A replica Death Row cell is opening this week in the courtyard of St Martin-in-the-Fields, just next to Trafalgar Square, London. Presented by human rights charity Reprieve, the installation opens on Thursday 12th August with the aim of raising awareness of the plight of British grandmother Linda Carty, who is currently in prison in Texas facing execution.
Open until the end of August, the work consists of a life-size replica of Carty's cell. The exterior of the cell features a timeline of Linda's life, while inside is a film is on loop that features Linda talking about her imminent execution. The cell has been designed to resemble Carty's real cell as closely as possible, and contains many personal items like family photographs and a host of cricket memorabilia. Carty is apparently a big Viv Richards fan.
The British grandmother and former primary school teacher was sentenced to death by lethal injection for allegedly ordering a murder in 2001, but Carty maintains that she was framed for her work as an informant for the Drugs Enforcement Agency. The trial itself was seemingly something of a farce and Reprieve states that "Linda would certainly not be on death row today - and she would probably have been acquitted altogether - if she had had a decent lawyer at trial".
Throughout each day a representative from Reprieve will be on hand to answer questions about the case as well as about the charity's other work and the death penalty more generally. This is a harrowing but important and informative work, one that will make all of us lucky enough to live in London thankful that the last execution to take place in the UK was back in 1964.
Life on Death Row is at St Martin-in-the-Fields from 12th August to 31st August 2010.
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