What's New
Prosecutor Forgoes Costly Death Penalty Trial
Posted: July 30, 2004In Alameda County, California, prosecutors announced that they will not seek the death penalty against Richard Dean Wilson because it is unlikely that a jury
would return a death sentence. State authories say the decision to seek a life sentence for Wilson
avoids a costly death penalty case and saves taxpayer dollars from
financing a lengthy trial with an uncertain outcome. Wilson
pleaded no contest to the murder of Angela Marie Bledsoe. Prosecutor Jim Anderson noted,
"This was the best penalty phase mitigation I have ever seen. We
in:
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Judge Accused of Assisting Prosecution in Capital Cases
Posted: July 30, 2004The California Supreme Court is asking the state's attorney general's
office to explain why Fred Freeman's death sentence should not be
reversed on allegations that a now-deceased Superior Court Judge
colluded with prosecutors to ensure a capital conviction by eliminating
potential Jewish jurors. The Supreme Court issued the show
cause order after Freeman's attorneys filed a claim stating that Freeman was
denied a fair trial because Judge Stanley Golde
allegedly told prosecutors to keep Jews off the jury because they
in:
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NEW VOICES: Texas DA Sees "Beginning of the End of the Death Penalty"
Posted: July 29, 2004In Texas, Jefferson County District Attorney Tom Maness recently noted that the time-consuming and costly nature of capital punishment may lead to its demise. "I think this is the beginning of the end of the death penalty," said Maness after a Criminal District Court Judge recommended that the Court of Criminal Appeals commute the death sentence of Walter Bell to life in prison. On three occassions, Jefferson County spent countless hours of work and hundreds of thousands of dollars to prosecute Bell, who is mentally retarded, a
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NEW RESOURCE: Study Identifies Flaws in Recent Deterrence Research
Posted: July 28, 2004A new study conducted by Professor Richard Berk of the UCLA Department
of Statistics has identified significant statistical problems with the
data analysis used to support recent studies claiming to show that
executions deter crime in the United States. In "New Claims about
Executions and General Deterrence: Deja Vu All Over Again?," Professor
Berk addresses the problem of "influence," which occurs when a very
small and atypical fraction of the available data dominates the
statistical results of a study. He found that this statistical problem
in:
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New York Legislators Put Off Attempts to Fix State's Death Penalty Law
Posted: July 27, 2004Despite efforts by some state leaders to quickly "fix"
the state's death penalty statue, opposition from many legislators halted attempts to pass a bill
before the summer recess at the end of July. At a legislative conference on the issue, Assemblyman Jeffrion
Aubry noted that "a lot of people who spoke were against it."
These sentiments prompted Majority Leader Paul Tokasz to announce that
legislators were "going to take some time with it" before deciding how
to address concerns raised by the court. The Court of Appeals struck
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Deadline Premiers on NBC's Dateline; Supreme Court Accepts Amicus Briefs in Roper v Simmons
Posted: July 26, 2004U.S. SUPREME COURT: AMICUS BRIEFS FILED IN LANDMARK CASE

On July 19, 2004, amicus briefs in support of ending the execution of juvenile offenders were filed in Roper v. Simmons (No. 03-0633) that will decide whether the execution of juvenile defendants is a violation of the Eighth Ammendment. In addition to the defendant's brief, amicus briefs were submitted by such notables as President Jimmy

On July 19, 2004, amicus briefs in support of ending the execution of juvenile offenders were filed in Roper v. Simmons (No. 03-0633) that will decide whether the execution of juvenile defendants is a violation of the Eighth Ammendment. In addition to the defendant's brief, amicus briefs were submitted by such notables as President Jimmy
- Read more
- 2,246 reads
DPIC Presents 2004 Thurgood Marshall Journalism Awards
Posted: July 26, 2004The Death Penalty Information Center honored journalists and producers
from the Chicago Tribune, The New York Times Magazine,
Frontline, Sound Portraits Productions, and investigative journalist
Alan Berlow during its 8th Annual Thurgood Marshall Journalism Awards
at the National Press Club on Monday, July 26. The awards honor those
journalists who have made an exceptional contribution to the
understanding of problems associated with capital punishment.
Award-winning human rights attorney Bryan Stevenson, Executive Director
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As Alabama Prepares to Execute Elderly, Ill Inmate, Officials Block Clemency Petition
Posted: July 22, 2004A clemency letter-writing campaign organized by Alabama death row
prisoners on behalf of James Barney Hubbard, an ailing 74-year-old man
who is scheduled to be executed on August 5th, was recently
halted by Department of Correction authorities at Donaldson Prison.
Just two months before Hubbard's scheduled execution, Willie Dorrell
Minor wrote a clemency petition to Alabama Governor Robert Riley. He
planned to have the petition asking Riley to spare Hubbard's life
signed by other individuals on the state's death row before submitting
in:
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NEW RESOURCE: Tennesee Study Finds Death Penalty Costly, Ineffective
Posted: July 22, 2004A new report released by the Tennessee Comptroller of the Treasury
recommended changes to the state’s costly death penalty and called into question its effectiveness in preventing crime. The Office of
Research noted that it lacked sufficient data to accurately account for
the total cost of capital trials, stating that “because cost and time
records were not maintained, the Office of Research was unable to
determine the total, comprehensive cost of the death penalty in
Tennessee.” Although noting that, “no reliable data exists
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Supreme Court News / Deadline on NBC
Posted: July 20, 2004U.S. SUPREME COURT: AMICUS BRIEFS FILED IN LANDMARK CASE

On July 19, 2004, amicus briefs in support of ending the execution of juvenile offenders were filed in Roper v. Simmons (No. 03-0633) that will decide whether the execution of juvenile defendants is a violation of the Eighth Ammendment. In addition to the defendant's brief, amicus briefs were submitted by such notables as President Jimmy

On July 19, 2004, amicus briefs in support of ending the execution of juvenile offenders were filed in Roper v. Simmons (No. 03-0633) that will decide whether the execution of juvenile defendants is a violation of the Eighth Ammendment. In addition to the defendant's brief, amicus briefs were submitted by such notables as President Jimmy
- Read more
- 2,537 reads
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