Dallas, TX – After spending only a year on Death Row, Gerald Woolcutt has been executed for owing $252.50 in library fees. The fees, which were owed to the Dallas Public Library, included overdue fines, several billed DVDs, and $25 in printing charges. Woolcutt was contacted several times via phone, email, and U.S. mail by the Dallas Public Library, but refused to return the items or pay the fees.
Woolcutt was arrested two years ago in June, put on trial, and found guilty on several counts, including: refusal to pay state-levied fees, making sarcastic remarks to a librarian, and taking advantage of his tax dollars by abusing a state-funding institution. The charges together prompted the prosecution to seek the death penalty, which was awarded to them by Dallas County judge Wilhem Schnitzenbacher. The library also revoked all of Woolcutt’s library privileges
The highly controversial execution had attracted the attention of a Dallas human rights organization, which had been working for months to get Woolcutt’s Dallas Public Library card reinstated. In a sad twist of fate, the day after Woolcutt was pronounced dead, the library waived the fees and mailed a new card to the Woolcutt home.
Woolcutt spent his last hours on earth tearing the pages from books he checked out from the prison library.
I think the final sentence of this story proves that this execution was not only justified, but entirely necessary. The man was obviously not rehabilitated with regard to his cavalier attitude toward library property and if returned to society there’s no question in my mind that his behavior would accelerate to the point where he would become a serial loud talker. Who knows what he might be capable of? Climbing the stacks and defecating on other patrons? Calling the librarian “Mrs. Chicken-legs?” While I don’t necessarily feel that capital punishment is morally right, I believe that in this particular case there was no other alternative but to remove this man from society. I mean these are LIBRARIES we’re talking about!!! Shhh! Sorry I got loud, but I’m just so passionate about this issue.
Sincerely, Lawrence “Quiet” Bookbinder, Chief Librarian, Syracuse Public Library System
Haha! This comment may be funnier than the post itself. Thanks for stopping by, Mr. Bookbinder.
Where is Craig Watkins when you need him. This conviction was obviously wrong for several reasons. The printers at the Dallas County library don’t work, and librarians don’t pay attention to anything people in the library say. They are either too old to hear or busy shooting porn scenes in which they take down their mousy bun, whip there hair around, and then finish a man off to the point where her glasses are soon covered in ……I digress.
I think the family should put Mr Woolcot’s new card on ebay. Something good should come from this tragedy.
You should have been on Mr. Woolcutt’s defense team.
The article doesn’t say what happened to the library books & DVDs after he was executed. I assume he took them with him.