Publications & Testimony
Items: 4211 — 4220
Mar 27, 2009
Maryland Legislature Passes Bill Restricting Use of Death Penalty
On March 26, the Maryland House of Delegates approved a bill requiring specific evidence of guilt if the death penalty is sought. The same bill was passed earlier by the Senate, and the governor supports the legislation. Calling it a “step forward,” Gov. O’Malley indicated he will sign the bill, limiting capital cases to those with biological or DNA evidence of guilt, a videotaped confession, or a videotape linking the defendant to a homicide. The restrictions derived from an…
Read More
Mar 25, 2009
STUDIES: Costs of Death Penalty in California
An update of a study by the ACLU of Northern California on the costs of the death penalty found additional expenses due to a net increase in the size of death row. The analysis found, “The 11 new additions to death row add almost $1 million to the annual cost of housing people on death row, now totaling $61.2 million more each year than the cost of housing in the general population. … The recently approved state budget also includes $136 million in funds…
Read MoreMar 25, 2009
STUDIES: Amnesty International Reports World Moving Away from Death Penalty
A new report released by Amnesty International reveals that the world is moving away from capital punishment. Amnesty’s annual report showed that only 59 nations retain the death penalty, and of those nations, only 25 used it in 2008. Among the nations still employing the death penalty, China was the most prolific with 1,718 executions, followed by Iran with 346, Saudi Arabia with 102, United States with 37, Pakistan with 36, and Iraq with 34. Argentina and Uzbekistan…
Read MoreMar 24, 2009
NEW VOICES: Montana Prosecutor Says Death Penalty Doesn’t Keep Correctional Officers Safe
John Connor, who served as chief special prosecutor in Montana for 21 years and who prosecuted five prison homicide cases, is now calling for the repeal of Montana’s death penalty. Connor originally believed that the death penalty was needed to keep correctional officers safe from inmates serving life in prison without parole. But through his experience he found, “The reality is that the death penalty is not, and never has been, a deterrent. Prison safety…
Read More
Mar 23, 2009
New Mexico to Save Money After Abolition of Death Penalty
A cost assessment prepared for the New Mexico legislature prior to its vote on repealing the death penalty indicated some of the money that would be saved if the bill was passed. The state will save several million dollars each year, according to the fiscal impact report by the Public Defender Department. For example, in the case of State v. Young, the public defender office expended $1.7 million. They estimated that the total cost to the state would be three times…
Read MoreMar 19, 2009
Texas Court Rejects Appeal Calling Inmate “Crazy” but “Sane”
The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals recently ruled that a death row inmate who removed his only remaining eye and ate it “is clearly ‘crazy,’ but he is also ‘sane’ under Texas law,” rejecting his appeal. Death row inmate Andre Thomas had stabbed some of his family members and ripped their hearts out. He then walked into the Sherman Police Department, admitted to the killings, and said God told him to commit them. Shortly after his arrest, he removed his right…
Read More
Mar 19, 2009
Death Penalty Abolished in New Mexico – Governor Says Repeal Will Make the State Safer
Governor Bill Richardson signed the bill abolishing the death penalty in New Mexico on March 18. New Mexico now becomes the 15th state to abandon capital punishment and the 3rd in the last 2 years, following recent actions in New Jersey and New York in 2007. The new law substitutes the punishment of life without parole for the death penalty in future cases. In a statement, Gov. Richardson cited the 130 inmates freed from death row since 1973…
Read More
Mar 19, 2009
Governor Bill Richardson Signs Repeal of the Death Penalty
SANTA FE — Governor Bill Richardson today signed House Bill 285, Repeal of the Death Penalty. The Governor’s remarks follow:Today marks the end of a long, personal journey for me and the issue of the death penalty.Throughout my adult life, I have been a firm believer in the death penalty as a just punishment — in very rare instances, and only for the most heinouscrimes. I still believe that.But six years ago, when I took office as Governor of the State of New Mexico, I started to challenge my…
Read MoreMar 17, 2009
Recent Legislative Activity on the Death Penalty
Many states are considering bills to abolish, reform, or expand the death penalty during current legislative sessions. Some recent developments include: New Mexico’s bill to abolish the death penalty passed the House and Senate and is awaiting Gov. Richardson’s decision and signature, likely to come on March 18. In Colorado, a bill to abolish the death penalty and use the resources to pursue cold cases passed the House Judiciary Committee 7 – 4. In…
Read MoreMar 16, 2009
NEW VOICES: State Supreme Court Justice Resigned Over the Death Penalty
Retired Washington State Supreme Court Justice Robert F. Utter recently wrote an opinion piece arguing that the continued use of the death penalty fails to serve justice, public safety or the public purse — and should be abandoned. Justice Utter resigned from the high court after 23 years in 1995 because of his concerns about the death penalty. Justice Utter wrote recently in the Seattle Times, “My original reasons for resignation still apply. I then stated: ‘I…
Read More