Publications & Testimony

The Common Sense Foundation of North Carolina released a study on October 11, 2006 that found that at least 37 people now on death row had trial lawyers who would not have met today’s minimum standards of qualification. Nearly a third of the cases where sufficient data was available fell into this substandard category. The study also lists the names of 16 people who have been executed whose trial lawyers did not meet these same standards. Over half of the executions in the state where data was…

On October 13, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear two capital cases from Texas in which the defendant was sentenced to death after the jury was given instructions that the Court has since found unconstitutional. Unlike in most states where the jury considers a range of aggravating and mitigating circumstances about the crime and the defendant before choosing a sentence of life or death, in Texas the jury was (the law has since been modified) given a series of yes-or-no questions about the…

A broad spectrum of religious leaders from Wisconsin issued a joint statement regarding their views on the death penalty on October 14. The statement follows: ‘Simply put, we cannot support the death penalty’ Posted: Oct. 14, 2006 There are many articulate and compelling arguments for rejecting the death penalty referendum on the Nov. 7 ballot. We will not rehearse those arguments here. As religious leaders, we wish to present a straightforward, values-based argument. We believe that it is…

The U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear an appeal from Texas death row inmate LaRoyce Smith even though they had reviewed his case once before. On October 6, 2006, the Court granted certiorari to decide whether the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals had applied the wrong standard after the Supreme Court had sent Smith’s case back to them earlier. The dispute does not involve Smith’s 1991 conviction for the murder of a Taco Bell manager in Dallas. Rather the Supreme Court held (7 – 2) in 2004 that…

Edward Johnson is a former FBI Agent who currently oversees investigative work for the Union County (NJ) Prosecutor’s Office. He recently expressed his personal opinions about the state’s death penalty. He concluded that in New Jersey public opinion may now have moved to the point where the death penalty will be abolished. He noted, in part: Quite frankly, it’s the time lag between conviction and execution that militates against any deterrent effect. Even in states with an active death…

At a joint press conference held by the European Commission (EC) and the Council of Europe, Vice-President Franco Frattini of the EC stated that “the administration of State killing via the judicial system serves no useful purpose in preventing crime but can have a brutalising effect on societies that inflict it”. Their press release marking this occasion noted that considerable progress has been made towards abolishing the death penalty: There [has] been constant progress towards worldwide…

As part of DPIC’s ongoing mission to serve the public with analysis and information on issues concerning capital punishment, we have developed a resource center for students. This page will assist students wishing to do explore issues surrounding the death penalty. There are ideas for debates and research papers as well as links to connect students with academic resources on capital punishment. The new link answers frequently asked questions, such as DPIC’s stance on the death penalty and how…

Part One (Part Two Follows) October 9^th, 2006 10 days ago, by a vote of 65 to 34, Congress passed the Military Commissions Act of 2006 (MCA). To facilitate the prosecution of detainees that the Bush Administration “disappeared” into secret CIA custody for several years, Congress created a system of justice that is far inferior to that of the federal courts and courts-martial. And not only did Congress give the Administration much of what sought in terms of substandard justice, it also allowed…

Capital Punishment Research Initiative: The Future of Innocence by Richard C. Dieter (October 6 – 7, 2006)

Corey Maye was convicted and sentenced to death for the murder of a police officer in Prentiss, Mississippi, on the day after Christmas in 2001. The police officer was part of a drug raid on a neighbor’s apartment. Maye claims that the police broke into his duplex unannounced and that he fired his gun in defense of himself and his 18-month-old daughter. Mississippi Circuit Court Judge Michael Eubanks recently ruled that Maye was entitled to a new sentencing hearing because his defense counsel…