News & Developments
Murder Rates
Jun 09, 2023
New AH Datalytics Data Shows Sharp Decline in Murder Rates in 2023
New data from AH Datalytics shows “sharp and broad decline” in murder rates for 2023. In a recent article published in The Atlantic, Jeff Asher (pictured), a crime analyst based in New Orleans and co-founder …
United States Supreme Court
Jun 08, 2023
Former Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer Expresses Continued Frustration with the Fair Administration of the Death Penalty
In a recent interview with The Marshall Project, former United States Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer discussed his twenty-eight years of experience on the Court and the evolution of his view on the death penalty. He explai…
Human Rights
Jun 07, 2023
Worldwide Wednesday’s International Roundup: Zimbabwe, Vietnam, South Korea, Singapore, Iran, and Saudi Arabia
ZimbabweOn March 23, Zimbabwe’s parliament passed a new “Patriotic Bill” which carries the possibility of a death sentence for non-violent crimes in violation of the “most serious crimes” international legal standard. The…
Juveniles
Jun 06, 2023
Jurors Who Sentenced Michael Tisius to Death Express Regret
Four jurors and two alternates from the 2010 trial of Michael Tisius have said in affidavits that they would support clemency in his case. Mr. Tisius is scheduled to be executed in Missouri on June 6, 2023. In his clemency petition, and in intervi…
Race
Jun 05, 2023
Black-Led Organizations Oppose New Death Penalty Legislation, Citing Disproportionate Effect on Communities of Color
Black-led organizations are opposing legislative efforts in several states to reintroduce or expand use of the death penalty. Lawmakers in Illinois and New Jersey have introduced legislation to reinstate the death penalty, while o…
Recent Legislative Activity
Jun 02, 2023
Conservative Commentator Warns of Dangers of Non-Unanimous Death Sentences
Florida’s recent decision to allow death sentences without a unanimous jury recommendation increases the risk of executing an innocent person, according to conservative commentator Christian Schneider (pictured). In a May 25, 2023 column for Th…
International
Jun 01, 2023
Uganda’s Controversial “Anti-Homosexuality Act” Includes Possibility of Death Sentence
Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni’s (pictured) decision to sign the Anti-Homosexuality Act 2023 on May 29 has drawn widespread international criticism. The new law prescribes that people convicted of “aggravated homosexuality” may now be punished …
Mental Illness
May 31, 2023
New Podcast: American Enterprise Institute’s Dr. Sally Satel Explains Why People with Severe Mental Illness Should Not Be Eligible for the Death Penalty
In the latest episode of Discussions with DPIC, Anne Holsinger, Managing Director of DPIC, interviews Dr. Sally Satel (pictured), a psychiatrist and senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. She shares her insights on the role of s…
Victims' Families
May 30, 2023
Victims’ Families are Divided Over Death Penalty as Bowers Trial Begins
On May 25, 2023, 12 death-qualified jurors and six alternates were selected in the federal capital trial of Robert Bowers, who is charged with killing 11 worshippers at a Pittsburgh synagogue in 2018. Prosecutors struck all the Black, Hispanic, an…
Innocence
May 26, 2023
Former Republican and Democratic Governors from Alabama Critique State’s Death Penalty and Express Regret
“[W]e have come over time to see the flaws in our nation’s justice system and to view the state’s death penalty laws in particular as legally and morally troubling,” wrote two former governors of Alabama in an op-ed for the W…