Articles

The most recent edition of The Angolite, the nation's largest prison news magazine, contains an article detailing national death penalty trends and developments. The piece also highlights the impact of capital punishment on family members and close friends of those facing execution. It notes, "Lost in the shadows of these central arguments is something that defines us human beings: Taking care of our own. Unseen, unheard family members and close friends of those on death row have committed no crime, have done no wrong, yet they must suffer the sterilized and calculated execution of their loved one. When the state shuffles a mother's son into the death chamber, her heart hurts just the same as the loved ones of the person her son murdered. She becomes another in a long line of grieving human beings -- victimized by a system unintentionally designed to spread a wide net of emotional pain."

Critical developments in the modern history of capital punishment in the United States are examined through a biographical sketch of Anthony Amsterdam (pictured), one of the nation's most respected death penalty attorneys and legal scholars, in the latest edition of New York University's Law School Magazine. Prof. Amsterdam argued Furman v. Georgia before the U.S. Supreme Court in 1972, resulting in the overturning of all death penalty laws and the sparing of over 600 inmates on death row.

In a guest column published in the Jurist, former FBI Director William S. Sessions underscored the importance of making DNA testing available for those facing execution. He also encouraged states to thoroughly review their capital punishment systems and to make reforms to ensure greater reliability. DNA testing, he noted, has revealed that police often do not have the right suspect in serious crimes. In about 25% of the cases where DNA was available and a suspect had been arrested, testing showed that the wrong person was being pursued.

Published on Tuesday, December 28, 2004 by the Miami Herald by Bianca Jagger