Publications & Testimony
Items: 3271 — 3280
Feb 04, 2013
Conservatives and Republicans Support Death Penalty Repeal Bill in Montana
A bipartisan group of legislators in Montana will introduce a bill to replace the state’s death penalty with a sentence of life without parole. The sponsors include two Republicans and two Democrats. A coalition of conservative lawmakers, religious groups, and human rights groups support the repeal of capital punishment. Republican Sen. Matthew Rosendale (pictured), a member of Conservatives Concerned About the Death Penalty, said his stance…
Read MoreFeb 01, 2013
STUDIES: Racial Bias in Houston’s Use of Death Penalty
In a new study in Harris County (Houston), Texas, criminologist Scott Phillips found significant racial and gender disparities in the application of the death penalty under former District Attorney Charles Rosenthal. Prof. Phillips of the University of Denver examined homicides from 2001 to 2008 and found that death sentences were imposed on behalf of white victims at 2.5 times the rate one would expect if the system were race neutral. Furthermore, death…
Read MoreJan 31, 2013
Texas Court Stays Execution for Fourth Time to Study DNA Evidence
On January 30, a Texas judge stayed the execution of Larry Swearingen, scheduled for February 27. Swearingen’s lawyers argued more time was required to complete DNA testing agreed to by the prosecution, which they believe will prove his innocence. This is the fourth such delay he has received. Five forensic experts have concluded that the decomposition of the victim’s body shows she was killed while Swearingen was in jail on unrelated charges, thereby…
Read MoreJan 30, 2013
ARBITRARINESS: Pennsylvania’s Costly and Broken Death Penalty System
The theory of the death penalty is that prosecutors select offenders who have committed aggravated murder and obtain death sentences for the most heinous offenders through a scrupulous trial with full due process. The reality in Pennsylvania is radically different. Hundreds of inmates have been sentenced to death, but of the cases that have completed the appeals process, 100% have been overturned, mostly because of errors in the conviction or sentencing stages. (Three inmates…
Read MoreJan 29, 2013
UPCOMING EXECUTION: Lawyers Request Reprieve Because of Racial Bias in Dallas County
Lawyers for Kimberly McCarthy, who is to be executed on January 29, have petitioned Texas Governor Rick Perry for a 30-day reprieve because of evidence of racial bias in the county in which she was tried. The District Attorney for Dallas County, Craig Watkins, has already called for passage of a Racial Justice Act to address the bias he has found. Attorneys for McCarthy cited several studies pointing to racial disparity in the application of the death…
Read MoreJan 28, 2013
NEW VOICES: Ohio Supreme Court Justice Calls Death Penalty Unconstitutional
Ohio Supreme Court Justice William O’Neill recently voted to strike down the death penalty, when he dissented in an order setting an execution date for Jeffrey Wogenstahl. Justice O’Neill wrote, “I would hold that capital punishment violates the Eighth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States and Article I, Section 9 of the Ohio Constitution. The death penalty is inherently both cruel and unusual and therefore is unconstitutional. Capital punishment dates back to…
Read MoreJan 25, 2013
NEW RESOURCES: View DPIC’s Latest Infographics as a Slide Show
The Death Penalty Information Center has introduced a new series of graphs and quotes from prominent individuals, emphasizing various death penalty issues. These infographics have been displayed on Facebook and other outlets in the past few months. We are now offering them serially in a slide show on DPIC’s website. The graphics can be individually downloaded for use in various mediums. The slide show is available at this link. The infographics are…
Read MoreJan 24, 2013
LAW REVIEWS: The Enduring Significance of Studies Showing Racial Bias in the Death Penalty
Professor Samuel R. Gross (pictured) of the University of Michigan Law School has published an article in the Iowa Law Review examining the historical importance of a series of studies showing racial bias in the death penalty. The issue of race was brought to a head by the Supreme Court’s consideration of McCleskey v. Kemp in 1987. McCleskey focused on a statistical examination of Georgia death sentences conducted by David Baldus.
Read MoreJan 23, 2013
RACE: Dallas District Attorney Supports Racial Justice Act for Texas
Dallas County (Texas) District Attorney Craig Watkins said he plans to advocate for a state law to allow death row inmates to appeal their conviction or sentence using studies showing that racial bias affected the process. Such laws have been passed in North Carolina and Kentucky and are referred to as a “Racial Justice Act.” Watkins said, “Throughout history, race has unfortunately played a part, an ugly part, in our criminal justice system. This is an…
Read MoreJan 22, 2013
BOOKS: “Capital Punishment’s Collateral Damage”
A new book by Professor Robert Bohm of the University of Central Florida examines the personal impact of capital punishment on those involved in the criminal justice system, beyond the victim and perpetrator of the crime. Bohm listened to those involved in all steps of the judicial process, including investigators, jurors, and the execution team. He has probed the effects of the death penalty on the families of both the murder victim and the offender. The book,…
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