Publications & Testimony

A recent study by Sherod Thaxton (pictured) of the University of Chicago Law School examined the effect of the threat of the death penalty on plea bargaining. Using statistical analysis of charging and sentencing data in Georgia between 1993 and 2000, Thaxton found that the possibility of a death sentence increased the likelihood of a plea bargain: “deterring two out of every ten death noticed defendants from pursuing a trial.” However, the lower number of trials does not offset the high costs…

In his weekly column, Archbishop Charles Chaput of Philadelphia voiced the Catholic Church’s ongoing opposition to the death penalty in the U.S. and called for clemency for Pennsylvania death row inmate Terrance Williams. “We don’t need to kill people to protect society or punish the guilty. And we should never be eager to take anyone’s life,” the Archbishop said. He addressed the needs of murder victims’ families, saying “Turning away from capital punishment does not diminish our support for…

Douglas Stankewitz, a Native American, was the first person sent to California’s death row after capital punishment was reinstated in 1978. Thirty-four years later, he remains there as his appeals continue. His conviction was overturned in 1982 because he had not received a mental competency hearing, despite findings by court-appointed doctors that he was mentally unstable and brain-damaged as a result of childhood abuse. His second trial is now being appealed on the grounds that his…

The Sacramento Bee announced in an editorial that it is reversing its historic 150-year support of the death penalty and endorsing the repeal of California’s capital punishment law. The editorial called the state’s death penalty an “illusion,” which is rarely carried out, despite the large number of death sentences. It cited the high cost of the death penalty as one of the reasons for supporting repeal, noting, “California has already spent billions of dollars – one recent study pegged the…

A new book by Larry Koch, Colin Wark and John Galliher discusses the status of the death penalty in the U.S. in light of recent legislative activity and court decisions. In The Death of the American Death Penalty, the authors examine the impact of factors such as economic conditions, public sentiment, the role of elites, the media, and population diversity on the death penalty debate. The book highlights the recent abolition decisions in New York, New Jersey, New Mexico, and Illinois, and the…

On September 6, Michael Keenan (pictured) was released from prison after spending about 20 years on Ohio’s death row. Keenan and co-defendant Joseph D’Ambrosio, who was exonerated in April, were convicted of the 1988 murder of Tony Klann. Keenan’s first conviction was overturned in 1994, but he was retried and again sentenced to death. His second conviction was overturned earlier in 2012 due to prosecutorial misconduct. Prosecutors withheld evidence that could have exonerated Keenan and…

In Pennsylvania — a state that has recently dealt with high-profile cases of child sexual abuse — one victim of such attacks is now facing execution. On September 6, more than two dozen child advocates joined former jurors, the victim’s widow, as well as former prosecutors and judges in urging Governor Tom Corbett and the Board of Pardons to grant clemency to death row inmate Terrance Williams (pictured). Williams suffered years of physical and sexual abuse from older males, and he eventually…

The Death Penalty Information Center’s High School Curriculum on the Death Penalty is now available for students and teachers as a free electronic textbook for use on the Apple iPad. This balanced and dynamic resource uses an issue of public concern to teach civic responsibility, research, and critical thinking. The e‑textbook contains all the features of DPIC’s award-winning online curriculum, including summaries of arguments for and against the death penalty, case studies based on actual…

Although Connecticut abolished the death penalty for future offenses in 2012, eleven inmates remained on death row. Now an unusual trial will soon begin challenging the death sentences of seven of those inmates, not because of the legislature’s repeal action, but because of evidence of racial and geographical biases in deciding those sentences. The inmates will principally rely on a study by Stanford University professor John Donohue, who reviewed nearly 4,700 murders in the state from 1973 to…