Entries by Hayley Richbart

Some elected officials and legislators have recently promoted some methods of execution as more “humane” than others. But every execution method ever used has been shown to carry the risk of error and malfunction, with the result that the prisoner may experience pain and suffering as they are executed. Exactly how much pain and suffering the law permits is a constitutional question that has evolved with time and society’s beliefs. Methods once viewed as gruesome but acceptable, such as…

On Veterans Day, the Death Penalty Information Center will release a new report about veterans and the death penalty, exploring the lasting effects of military service and explaining why military experiences matter when veterans interact with the legal system. This article takes a moment to reflect on* *Battle Scars* *— DPI’s first pathbreaking report about veterans and the death penalty released a decade ago — and two of the powerful individual stories of…