Publications & Testimony

“The Two Lives of Napoleon Beazley” is a new play by John Fleming that explores the true story of a 17-year-old African-American defendant who was sentenced to death for a carjacking and murder in Texas. The victim was the father of a federal judge. Using a variety of factual resources, including court transcripts and media accounts, the play examines race and the criminal justice system before the Supreme Court ruled in 2005 that the death penalty for juveniles violates the…

The number of police officers killed by gunfire in 2008 dropped by 40% from 2007, down to its lowest level in more than 50 years, according to a report by the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund. The report attributed the decline to a new emphasis on officer safety training and equipment. In addition to increased training, more officers are wearing body armor and using stun guns to protect themselves. The overall number of officers killed in the line of duty also declined in 2008.

The Death Penalty Information Center’s Year End Report for 2008 recorded 37 executions for the year that ends today. That is a 12% drop from the 42 executions in 2007. However, based on executions already scheduled for 2009, the coming year may see an increase. There are 23 executions scheduled for the first five months of 2009, and more dates are likely to be added. As was true in 2008, almost all the executions scheduled are in the south and about half (12 of 23) are in Texas. Although the…

At least 40 death row inmates, some on the day of their execution, were granted stays lasting beyond their scheduled dates in 2006-08 based in whole or in part on challenges to the lethal injection process. Some stays were lifted and the inmates eventually executed. In many states, all executions were effectively on hold until the lethal injection controversy is resolved. At the same time, other executions were allowed to go forward with no stays. Almost all of the executions have been by…

Below are examples of state media coverage of Baze v. Rees regarding the constitutionality of lethal injection. In many instances, the articles discuss the possible impact of the decision on specific states: Alabama — From the Gadsen Times Arkansas — From the Arkansas Democrat Gazette California — From the San Jose Mercury News Florida — From the Gainesville Sun Georgia — From the Atlanta Journal-Constitution Kentucky — From the Courier-Journal Maryland — From the Baltimore Sun…

The Dallas Morning News renewed its call for a moratorium on executions in Texas because of the numerous errors in the state’s death penalty system. The paper highlighted the cases of Michael Blair and Charles Hood as examples of how the system has broken down. Blair was exonerated in 2008 after 14 years on death row. DNA evidence revealed that he had not been the murderer of 7‑year-old Ashley Estel in 1993, despite the fact that the jury had taken only 27 minutes to convict him, and that he…

The top medical officer for the Department of Corrections in the state of Washington has resigned in order to avoid any participation in the state’s execution process. As the doctor responsible for preparing others to carry out lethal injections, Dr. Marc Stern concluded that his ethical obligations as a physician required that he recuse himself from such actions and that resigning was the only way to fully remove himself from this process. Dr. Stern, who supervised 700 employees around the…

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit upheld a $14 million award to John Thompson, a former death row inmate in Louisiana who was exonerated after withheld evidence was revealed. Thompson spent 18 years in prison, including 14 years in the solitary confinement of death row in Angola Prison. He came within one month of being executed in 1999 when his attorneys discovered blood evidence that should have been turned over to the defense years ago. The new evidence cleared Thompson of an…