Entries by Death Penalty Information Center
News
Feb 22, 2011
MENTAL ILLNESS: Death Sentences Vacated for Two with Severe Mental Illness
One death row inmate from Oregon and another from North Carolina recently had their death sentences removed because of concerns about their mental competency. In Oregon, Robert James Acremant’s sentence was reduced to life without the possibility of parole. Since 2003, prison psychiatrists have diagnosed him as mentally ill, and Acremant said he hears voices and has a transmitter in his head that allows others to control him. He still has a…
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Feb 21, 2011
Thirteen States Seek Help from Justice Department for Lethal Injection Drug
In January, attorneys general from 13 states wrote a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder asking for assistance from the U.S. Department of Justice related to the recent shortage of sodium thiopental for lethal injections in the U.S. The state officials, including those in Alabama, Florida, and Tennessee, asked for help in “identifying an appropriate source for sodium thiopental or making supplies held by the Federal…
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Feb 18, 2011
NEW RESOURCES: Criminal Justice Coalition Releases “Smart on Crime” Report
A diverse coalition of the nation’s leading criminal justice reform organizations recently released Smart on Crime: Recommendations for the Administration and Congress. This analysis of the criminal justice system and the accompanying set of recommendations for change is one of the most comprehensive reports ever published addressing the problems in this field. The Coalition of over 40 organizations is coordinated by the Constitution Project and includes such groups…
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Feb 17, 2011
Texas Faith Leaders Appeal to Governor for Clemency in Pending Execution
On February 16, over 90 prominent religious leaders from Texas called on the Board of Pardons and Paroles and Governor Rick Perry to grant clemency to Timothy Adams (pictured). Adams is an army veteran with no criminal history prior to the day he killed his son while planning his own suicide in 2002. Leaders from nine denominations announced their support for clemency, saying “We join the victim’s family in asking that you spare Mr. Adams…
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Feb 16, 2011
Anesthesiologists Raise Concerns About New Drug for Lethal Injections
A nationwide shortage of sodium thiopental, a key drug used in executions around the country, has forced states to consider alternative drugs for their lethal injections. Tennessee, where 86 inmates are facing execution and sodium thiopental is in short supply, is considering using pentobarbital instead. Oklahoma has already executed three inmates using the new drug as part of a 3‑drug protocol. The use of pentobarbital, however, has drawn concerns from some…
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Feb 15, 2011
Montana Senate Votes to Repeal the Death Penalty
On February 14, the Montana state Senate passed a bill that would repeal the death penalty and replace it with a sentence of life without parole. In a 26 – 24 vote, all of the Senate’s Democrats and four Republicans supported ending capital punishment, marking the second straight legislative session for such a vote. Senator David Wanzenried, who introduced the bill, said that the death penalty is not a fair punishment, does not bring closure for victims, or…
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Feb 14, 2011
NEW VOICES: Families of Victims Call for End to Death Penalty in Connecticut
On February 9, more than two dozen families of murder victims came to the Connecticut Capitol complex to urge lawmakers to repeal the death penalty because of its negative impact on families of murder victims. Seventy-six family members of murder victims signed a letter urging lawmakers to end the death penalty. Gail Canzano, whose brother-in-law was murdered in 1999, said, “The death penalty ensnares people in the criminal justice system where mandatory appeals,…
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Feb 11, 2011
NEW VOICES: Victim’s Family Asks Ohio Board to Spare Inmate’s Life
The family of a man who was killed in Ohio recently petitioned the parole board to commute the death sentence of the defendant in the murder. Peter Mah, son of Chong Hoon Mah, who was killed by Johnnie Baston (pictured) during a robbery in 1994, told the Ohio Parole Board, “I was opposed to Mr. Baston receiving a death sentence at the time of his trial… [and] my family and I are opposed to Mr. Baston being executed.” During the trial, the family had filed…
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Feb 10, 2011
EDITORIALS: Baltimore Sun – Death Penalty “Inherently Inhumane”
A recent editorial in the Baltimore Sun urged Gov. Martin O’Malley to work toward repealing the death penalty in Maryland. The paper suggested that changes in the composition of the state Senate might make the General Assembly more receptive to ending capital punishment. There have also been concerns raised about lethal injections on the the state and national level. But it was the fundamental unfairness and high costs of the death penalty that…
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Feb 09, 2011
NEW VOICES: Former Prosecutors, Judges and U.S. Attorneys Urge Illinois Governor to Sign Death Penalty Repeal
A group of over 60 former state and federal prosecutors, judges, and other law enforcement officials recently wrote to Governor Pat Quinn of Illinois urging him to sign the bill passed by the General Assembly to repeal the death penalty. The law would also transfer state funds used for the death penalty to a fund for murder victims’ services and law enforcement work. The group cited the death penalty’s ineffectiveness in deterring violent crime and its high…
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