Publications & Testimony

Both the American Medical Association (AMA) and the National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians (NAEMT) recently issued public statements reminding members of their ethical obligation not to participate in legally authorized executions. As courts and legislatures throughout the country continue to struggle with questions related to lethal injection procedures, AMA president William G. Plested III noted that AMA policy clearly prohibits medical professionals from participating in…

A recent RAND Corporation study of the federal death penalty from 1995 to 2000 found no evidence of racial bias. Even though the investigators found that the death penalty was more often sought against defendants who murdered white victims, researchers ultimately concluded that the characteristics of the crime, and not the racial characteristics of the victim or the defendant, could be used to make accurate predictions of whether federal prosecutors would seek the death penalty. The RAND study…

A nine-member death penalty assessment team appointed by the American Bar Association’s (ABA) Death Penalty Moratorium Implementation Project has determined that Arizona’s capital punishment laws are plagued with serious problems and that the state should immediately take steps to improve the fairness and accuracy of the system. A report issued by the assessment team identified significant problems, including the lack of a centralized system of providing indigent defense services in capital…

A recent edition of the Journal of Catholic Legal Studies contains articles from a symposium on “Catholics and the Death Penalty: Lawyers, Jurors & Judges.” In addition to a foreword by Amelia Uelmen and an introduction to Catholic teaching on capital punishment by Art Cody, the volume contains a panel discussion with Kevin Doyle, director of the New York Capital Defender Office, and Charles Hynes, the District Attorney of Kings County (NY). The symposium concludes with a presentation on issues…

Five books addressing religion and its role in coping with violent crime are now available: “Healing Violent Men: A Model for Christian Communities” — This book by religion professor David Livingston explores domestic violence. It offers practical advice for pastoral and programmatic efforts to embrace the twin Christian imperatives of forgiveness and responsiblity. (Fortress Press, 2002). “When Violence is No Stranger: Pastoral Counseling with Survivors of Acquaintance Rape” — In this book…

Stuart Streichler served as a law clerk for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11^th Circuit shortly after the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in Gregg v. Georgia. He observed many capital cases and now concludes: “A fundamental idea of American law is that all defendants should receive fair trials all of the time. The persistent failure to come close to that in death penalty cases undermines the integrity of the legal system.” Streichler’s op-ed appreared recently in the Miami Herald: This month…

North Carolina is poised to become the first state to establish an Innocence Inquiry Commission that would review inmates’ innocence claims. Legislation to create the panel recently passed the state Senate by a vote of 48 – 1, and it passed last year in the House of Representative by a vote of 80 – 23. The legislation now must go before a legislative conference to reconcile differences between the versions. The House version of the bill would establish a permanent Innocence Commission and allow…

According to a report by the Houston Chronicle and the San Antonio Express-News, the police sergeant in charge of the investigation that led to the possible wrongful execution of Ruben Cantu in Texas had a record of wrongful arrests and was suspended three times for errors in judgment during his three decades with the San Antonio Police Department. Official documents examined by the papers revealed that Sergeant Bill Ewell, who supervised the homicide unit and was one of the driving forces…

A new report issued by the American Bar Association’s Death Penalty Moratorium Implementation Project found that Alabama’s death penalty fails to meet fundamental ABA standards of fairness and accuracy. An eight-member assessment team assembled in Alabama by the ABA was so troubled by its findings that it called for a moratorium on executions in the state. The team urged lawmakers to take action to ensure effective representation at every stage of the capital process to protect innocent…

Anna Quindlen, writing in the June 26, 2006 issue of Newsweek, reflected on the underlying questions surrounding the death penalty: Hardly any other civilized place does this anymore. In the past three decades, the number of nations that have abolished the death penalty has risen from 16 to 86. Last year four countries accounted for nearly all executions worldwide: China, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United States. … Much of the debate about the death penalty since it reared its ugly head again…