Articles

As evidence surfaces that Texas may have killed an innocent man when it executed Ruben Cantu in 1993, recent editorials by the Austin American-Statesman and the Dallas Morning News have criticized Texas’ death penalty and called on the state to take a closer look at its “flawed” capital punishment system. The Austin American-Stateman wrote: We all should remember (Ruben) Cantu’s case and the lessons it offers as the country carries out its 1000^th execution since 1976 scheduled for today in…

According to the North Carolina News & Record, death sentences in the state have significantly declined since the 2001 enactment of legislation that allows defendants to plead guilty to first-degree murder and receive a sentence of life without parole rather than go to trial and risk the death penalty. Juries are also returning fewer death sentences. The paper argues that the emergence of the life-without-parole alternative should result in a reconsideration of the sentences of those already on…

In an editorial in its Sunday, November 6 edition, the Birminham News announced that “After decades of supporting the death penalty, the editorial board no longer can do so.” The paper cited both practical and ethical reasons for the change in its stance: “[W]e have come to believe Alabama’s capital punishment system is broken. And because, first and foremost, this newspaper’s editorial board is committed to a culture of life… . We believe all life is sacred. And in embracing a culture of life…

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…

The latest edition of the magazine Justice Denied features stories of those who have been wrongly convicted in the United States and internationally, including several death penalty cases. One article is about Lena Baker, who was posthumously pardoned 50 years after Georgia executed her for the murder Ernest B. Knight. The magainze also features a story about the innocence claims raised by Frances Newton, who was recently executed in Texas. Other articles discuss the Streamlined Procedures Act…

The latest edition of Christian Networks Journal features a series of articles under the theme “Shalt Thou Kill?: An In-Depth Look at Capital Punishment.” In addition to commentary from two former governors and articles by death penalty experts Franklin Zimring, Rob Warden, David Dow, and DPIC Executive Director Richard Dieter (on Costs), the magazine also contains interviews and death row stories. The magazine states that its purpose is “to provide honest, level and unbiased education — both…

The entire current edition of Congressional Quarterly’s CQ Researcher is devoted to a comprehensive look at the death penalty in the U.S. This special CQ report, authored by Kenneth Jost and entitled “Death Penalty Controversies,” explores the history of the U.S. death penalty and changing public opinion about its use. It also looks at the current status of state moratorium developments, the continuing decline in U.S. executions, state responses to the Supreme Court’s ban on executing the…

A recent editorial in The Washington Post praised Indiana Governor Mitchell Daniels for commuting the death sentence of Arthur Baird, who suffers from severe mental illness. The editorial noted: Indiana Gov. Mitchell E. Daniels Jr. (R) acted wisely and humanely this week in commuting the death sentence of one Arthur Paul Baird II. There is no question that Mr. Baird killed his parents and his pregnant wife back in 1985. There is also little question that he is seriously mentally ill and was so…

The Birmingham News sharply criticized Alabama’s system of representation in death penalty cases, saying that the public should be outraged. A lack of even minimal resources and pay has caused attorneys to withdraw from cases and to decline representation to indigent defendants. The paper wrote that this shortage of attorneys could result in more trial errors and longer appeals, putting an undue strain on victims’ families and the entire system of justice. The editorial stated: What would it…

An editorial in the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette stated that the death penalty is more expensive than life without parole and offers Indiana residents no measurable benefit for their tax dollars. The paper said that ending the death penalty and reallocating funds currently put toward capital punishment would improve programs such as victim’s assistance, grassroots police programs, and social service agencies that work with at-risk youth. The Journal Gazette editorial noted: The death penalty is…