Publications & Testimony

When California Governor Gavin Newsom announced a moratorium on executions in 2019, he said that the state’s “death penalty system has been, by all measures, a failure.” He explained that the death penalty “has discriminated against defendants who are mentally ill, Black and brown, or can’t afford expensive legal representation…[while providing] no public safety benefit or value as a deterrent.” In 2024, California courts agreed that execution was not the appropriate punishment for at least 45…

Henderson Hill has dedicated his career to placing race and the death penalty on trial. This month, the Death Penalty Information Center celebrates Black History Month by recognizing Mr. Hill’s ongoing contributions to the modern death penalty landscape. Mr. Hill’s extensive career in the death penalty movement brought him to various organizations, including several that he founded, such as the 8^th Amendment Project, the Center for Death Penalty Litigation in Raleigh, North Carolina, Charlotte…

On February 7, 2025, Johnston County Superior Court Judge Wayland Sermons ruled “[r]ace was a significant factor” in both jury selection and the decision to impose death in the case of Hasson Bacote and granted relief for Mr. Bacote from his death sentence under the provisions of North Carolina’s Racial Justice Act (RJA). Judge Sermons also found racial discrimination tainted all death sentences in Johnston County and neighboring Harnett and Lee Counties, potentially affecting the outcomes of…

On January 16, 2025, Taiwan carried out its first execution since April 2020. Huang Linkai, who was sentenced to death in 2017 for the 2013 murders of his ex-girlfriend and her mother, was executed at the Taipei Detention Center. Although Mr. Huang’s attorney filed a last-minute appeal, the execution proceeded. There are questions whether Mr. Huang’s execution was in accord with the September 20, 2024 ruling by Taiwan’s Constitutional Court, which mandated that the government amend certain…

When Ernest Dykes was brought to trial on death penalty charges in Alameda County, California in the mid-1990s, it was reasonably expected that prosecutors and defense attorneys alike would work hard to shape the jury to their benefit. What Mr. Dykes (who is Black) didn’t know until recently, however, was just how far the prosecution would go to curate their ideal jury. In April 2024, Alameda County, California prosecutors discovered index cards in Mr. Dykes’ case that revealed prosecutors’…

On January 28, 2025, the Florida Legislature passed an immigration bill that includes a provision mandating the automatic imposition of the death penalty for “unauthorized aliens” convicted of a capital offense, despite longstanding U.S. precedent and international law prohibiting mandatory death sentences. The bill was introduced during a short special legislative session called by Governor Ron DeSantis (pictured), leaving little to no time for public review: state senators received the full…

Retired federal magistrate Judge David Duncan (pictured), who was hired and then abruptly fired by Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs to review the state’s execution protocol, continues to raise significant concerns about the state’s lethal injection protocol. In an interview with ABC15, Judge Duncan highlighted issues with the chain of command for lethal injection drugs, transparency, and the state documentation process. “It’s shocking irony that one of my tasks was transparency — [and] on the eve of…

In this month’s episode of 12:01: The Death Penalty in Context, Managing Director Anne Holsinger speaks with DPI Communications Associate Hayley Bedard, about The Death Penalty in 2024, which highlights trends and events related to the death penalty. 2024 marked the tenth consecutive year during which fewer than 30 people were executed (25) and fewer than 50 people were sentenced to death (26), while high profile cases of death-sentenced people attracted significant media attention and new…

I am Ready, Warden, a documentary about Texas death row prisoner John Henry Ramirez, was announced as a nominee for Best Documentary Short at the 2025 Academy Awards. The film tells the story of the days leading up to Mr. Ramirez’s 2022 execution. It features interviews with Mr. Ramirez and his son, Israel, as well as Nueces County District Attorney Mark Gonzalez, who opposes the death penalty and sought to halt Mr. Ramirez’s execution. It also centers the experience of Aaron Castro, the son…