Entries by Death Penalty Information Center

The Federal Death Penalty Resource Counsel Project reported that only 5 of the 22 juries that heard federal capital cases imposed death sentences in the past year. During John Ashcroft’s term as Attorney General from 2001 to 2005, 18 of the 63 juries in capital cases returned death sentences. Some members of Congress have proposed easing the rules for obtaining death sentences in federal cases, allowing the government to seek the death penalty repeatedly if the jury is not unanimous for either…

An Appeal Court of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico recently held that it would be unconstitutional to extradite Juan Melendez Cruz to Pennsylvania if he faces a possible death sentence. The court referred to the issue as one involving the fundamental right to life. In July 2003, Philadelphia District Attorney spokeswoman Cathie Abookire confirmed that Melendez Cruz, a Puerto Rican native, could face the death penalty in Pennsylvania. Melendez Cruz’s attorney, Eileen Diaz, argued that…

An October 2005 Gallup Poll found that only 64% of Americans favored the death penalty for those convicted of murder. The last time the poll found a lower support was in 1978 when 62% favored the death penalty. The high point for public endorsement of the death penalty came in 1994 when 80% supported capital punishment. This most recent poll result is consistent with Gallup Polls taken in October 2004 and 2003, both registering a 64% support of the death penalty. (See Gallup Poll Document…

North Carolina House Speaker Jim Black has appointed 20 House members to a study commission that will examine how the death penalty is carried out in the state. The commission will also recommend possible capital punishment-related policy reforms for their colleagues to consider during their session next spring. The commission will be chaired by Representatives Joe Hackney of Chapel Hill and Beverly Earle of Charlotte. Members of the commission will consult with victims’ family members, law…

A new documentary, “After Innocence,” by Jessica Sanders and Marc Simon, is opening in cities around the country. This award-winning film (Sundance and other film festivals) tells the stories of wrongfully convicted defendants who were exonerated through DNA evidence, and about what happens to them after their release as they attempt to rebuild their lives. The film opens in Washington, D.C. at the Landmark’s E St. Cinema, 555 11^th St. NW, on Friday, Nov. 4. A discussion will follow the film…

In an editorial on October 27, the Los Angeles Times called for an end to the death penalty in California. The Times stated that the punishment should end not because of the merits of individual death row inmates, such as Stanley Williams, scheduled for execution on December 13, but because of “who we are” as a civilized society: EDITORIAL Shut down death rowOctober 27, 2005 STANLEY “TOOKIE” WILLIAMS is a charismatic symbol of what’s wrong with the death penalty — and of what’s wrong with the…

Several provisions contained within the U.S. House of Representatives version of legislation to reauthorize the USA Patriot Act anti-terrorism law aim to dramatically transform the federal death penalty system by allowing smaller juries to decide on executions and giving prosecutors the ability to try again if the jury deadlocks on sentencing. The legislative changes, sponsored by Texas Congressman John Carter, would also triple the number of terrorism-related crimes eligible for the death…

The Death Penalty: Constitutional Issues, Commentaries and Case Briefs is a new textbook that brings together many of the legal issues of the death penalty and presents them in an easy-to-digest form. The book provides a brief retrospective analysis of capital punishment over the past two centuries, and then details the current status of the U.S. death penalty. With a chapter that focuses on the U.S. Supreme Court cases Furman v. Georgia and Gregg v. Georgia, as well as chapters on race, the…

According to a new report released by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), structural and procedural flaws in Alabama’s criminal justice system stack the deck against fair trials and appropriate sentencing for those facing the death penalty. The report, Broken Justice: The Death Penalty in Alabama, details unfair and discriminatory practices in the state’s administration of the death penalty. It concentrates on six major areas of concern: inadequate defense, prosecutorial misconduct…