Articles
Items: 61 — 70
Jun 11, 2013
OP-ED: “DNA: A Test for Justice”
In a recent op-ed in the Baltimore Sun, former FBI Director William Sessions (pictured) underscored the importance of reliable FBI forensic analysis in convicting the guilty and exonerating the innocent. Sessions provided the example of Willie Jerome Manning, who received a last-minute stay of execution in Mississippi in order to allow time to conduct testing on DNA evidence that could exonerate him. Manning was convicted in 1994 based on FBI testimony that has since been invalidated by the U.S. Department of Justice. Sessions also urged state prosecutors and judges to…
Read MoreJun 04, 2013
EDITORIALS: “Gov. Scott Should Veto Bill that Speed Up Death Penalty Punishments”
A June 3 editorial in the Sun Sentinel called on Florida Governor Rick Scott (pictured) to veto the Timely Justice Act, a bill passed by the legislature earlier this year that would accelerate executions. The bill requires the governor to sign a death warrant within 30 days of a Supreme Court review, with an execution to follow within 180 days. According to the editorial, flaws in the system, evidenced by death row exonerations, should be sufficient reason to reject a bill that would speed up the death penalty process in…
Read MoreMay 28, 2013
EDITORIALS: “End the Death Penalty in Kansas and Missouri”
The Kansas City Star recently called for an end to the death penalty in Kansas and Missouri. The editors wrote, “The arc of history is bending toward justice when it comes to the death penalty, and there’s no good reason Missouri and Kansas should lag behind and continue to be on the wrong side of both history and justice.” The high costs of implementing capital punishment and the risks of wrongful executions were among the reasons cited for doing away with the punishment. With respect to innocence, the paper stated,…
Read MoreMay 09, 2013
EDITORIALS: Colorado Case Raises Doubts About Entire Death Penalty System
Colorado recently set an execution date in August for Nathan Dunlap, who has been convicted of multiple murders. This would be first execution in the state in 16 years. In an editorial, the Aurora Sentinel recommended that the governor spare his life, not because of doubts about his guilt, but because of doubts about other aspects of the process that led to his death sentence: “There is simply too much doubt about the effectiveness of the death penalty. There is too much doubt about whether Dunlap drew the sentence because…
Read MoreApr 30, 2013
EDITORIALS: Miami Herald Calls on Governor to Block Fast-Track Executions
An editorial in the Miami Herald called on Florida Governor Rick Scott (pictured) to veto a bill recently passed by the legislature requiring the governor to sign a death warrant within 30 days after state Supreme Court review, with the execution taking place within 180 days after that. The editorial listed several death row inmates who were exonerated after spending more than 10 years on death row, and noted, “All of them might have been executed if the legislation that’s heading to the governor’s desk had been the law.” The…
Read MoreApr 22, 2013
EDITORIALS: “Conservatives and Death Penalty”
A recent editorial in the Lincoln (Neb.) Journal Star highlighted some of the conservative arguments opposing the death penalty. Edward Crane (pictured), founder of the CATO Institute, a libertarian think tank, said, “My own view on capital punishment is that it is morally justified but that the government is often so inept and corrupt that innocent people might die as a result. Thus, I personally oppose capital punishment.” The editorial also quoted Mary Kate Cary, former speechwriter for President George H. W. Bush, who said, “It’s becoming harder to justify…
Read MoreMar 29, 2013
NEW VOICES: Editorial Signals a Change in Position in Nebraska
A recent editorial in the Nebraska Star-Herald indicated a shift in its position on capital punishment. Although the paper has always supported the death penalty in the past, its latest editorial described the death penalty as “a mockery of justice” and a “charade.” The editors continued to express the belief that some murderers might deserve capital punishment, but the infrequency and unpredictability of executions led them to conclude that “[S]o few killers are actually put to death that it’s become a judicial aberration.” The paper pointed out that “only three…
Read MoreMar 21, 2013
EDITORIALS: “With Death Penalty Bans Gaining Steam, What’s Next for Texas?”
The Dallas Morning News used the recent repeal of the death penalty in Maryland as an occasion to advocate for death-penalty reform in Texas. The editors commented on the overall impropriety of capital punishment: “At best, the death penalty is selectively used state-supported retribution, which has no place in a civilized society.” The editorial supported six pending bills aimed at improving the fairness of the death penalty. One bill would bar the use of informant testimony in death penalty cases if the testimony was obtained from a witness or accomplice…
Read MoreFeb 19, 2013
MENTAL ILLNESS: Texas Inmate Gouges Out Eyes, Remains on Death Row
Texas death-row inmate Andre Thomas has been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, and auditory hallucinations drove him to gouge out both of his eyes. Nevertheless, prosecutors still believe he should be executed.
Read MoreFeb 07, 2013
EDITORIALS: Montana Paper Calls for Repeal
A recent editorial in the Great Falls Tribune in Montana outlined some of the key problems with the death penalty as the state legislature considers its repeal. The editors expressed concerns about the risks of mistake with executions: “There is no way to take back an execution. That reason alone provides good cause to eliminate the death penalty in Montana.” The paper also noted that victims’ families wait for decades for executions to be carried out, with the defendants receiving most of the attention: “[D]uring the long periods before their…
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