$4 Billion Since 1978 — Time to Cut California’s Death Penalty
The Los Angeles Times reports new data in a study to be released next week on California’s death penalty has revealed that the price tag for death is even higher than we thought: $4 billion since 1978. Put another way, we spend $184 million m…
Race and Death Penalty Links Run Deep and Wide
(Also posted on Daily Kos.)
Last week, South Carolina pardoned two great-uncles of radio personality Tom Joyner, both executed in 1913 for a murder they did not commit. The two African-American men had been falsely accused and wrongfully convicted of killing a white Confederate Army veteran. Historical records demonstrate that the authorities probably declined [...]
World Day Against the Death Penalty
Tomorrow marks World Day Against the Death Penalty, and it is only fitting that a global call was issued to abolish the practice. We join the ambassadors of the European Union (EU) who gathered today to call on all nations to abolish the cruel practice.
Ambassador John Bruton, the head of EU delegation to the U.S., [...]
Suspicious Shakeup in Texas
On Wednesday, Texas Gov. Rick Perry dismissed three members of the Texas Forensic Science Commission, including the chairperson.
His timing was extremely suspicious, to say the least.
The commission was set to hear testimony today from an arson expert it had hired, Craig L. Beyler, who reviewed the “expert” [...]
ACLU Highlights Flaws in American Capital Punishment
In his continuing effort to bring to light human rights issues in the United States before an international stage, Jamil Dakwar, director of the ACLU Human Rights Program, made a statement about the capital punishment system at the Human Dimension Implementation Meeting (HDIM) of the Organization for Security and [...]
Executing the Innocent
On Friday, the Houston Chronicle ran an op-ed by John Holdridge and Chris Hill of the ACLU’s Capital Punishment Project. John and Chris wrote how the execution of Cameron Todd Willingham, who was almost certainly innocent, has "shocked the conscience of many Americans." But those of us who oppose [...]
After Three Strikes, Ohio’s Death Penalty Should be Out
Around 4 p.m. on Tuesday, I was experiencing a terrible case of déjà vu. For the third time in as many years, I saw news reports that Ohio had botched an execution because of problems locating viable veins in the victim.
Romell Broom had been sentenced to die on September 15, 2009, [...]
No Suitable Vein
On Monday, Ohio’s execution team was unable to find a suitable vein in Romell Broom’s arm so it could not inject poison into his body and put an end to his life. The failed attempts took so long that Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland finally gave Broom a reprieve until next [...]
Willingham Case Highlights Fears of Executing Innocent People
Cameron Todd Willingham’s last words were: "I have been persecuted 12 years for something I didn’t do." And now, five years after he was executed by the state of Texas, Willingham is probably as close to an exoneration as he’ll ever get. The blogs and news media have been filled [...]
Shouting From the Rooftops
As Chris wrote last week, an investigation into the 1991 fire that killed the three children of Cameron Willingham found that it was not intentionally set, and that Willingham, who was charged with arson and subsequently executed in 2004 for the crime, may very well have been innocent. Two notable pieces [...]
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