Publications & Testimony

Tokyo, Japan December 6 – 7, 2005 Next we would like to welcome, Mr. Richard Dieter, Executive Director of the Death Penalty Information Center. I would like to thank the European Commission, the American Bar Association and the Japan Federation of Bar Associations for inviting me to speak about the death penalty in the United States. I first want to say that our Japanese hosts have been especially gracious — I immediately felt welcomed here, and I want to thank you for that. Today we are…

As evidence surfaces that Texas may have killed an innocent man when it executed Ruben Cantu in 1993, recent editorials by the Austin American-Statesman and the Dallas Morning News have criticized Texas’ death penalty and called on the state to take a closer look at its ​“flawed” capital punishment system. The Austin American-Stateman wrote: We all should remember (Ruben) Cantu’s case and the lessons it offers as the country carries out its 1000^th execution since 1976 scheduled for today in…

The U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments in two death penalty cases on Wednesday, December 7, 2005, including a case to determine the constitutionality of Kansas’ death penalty statute and a case that involves the issue of innocence. In Kansas v. Marsh, No. 04 – 1170, the justices will consider the constitutionality of Kansas’ death penalty, which requires that a death sentence be imposed when a jury finds that aggravating circumstance and mitigating circumstances have equal weight. The jury…

Sixty-five percent of voters in North Carolina favor suspending the death penalty until questions about its accuracy and fairness can be studied according to a recent Hart Research poll sponsored by the North Carolina Academy of Trial Lawyers.The poll found that even among voters who identify themselves as strong supporters of the death penalty, 43% still favor a moratorium on executions while an in-depth study of capital punishment is conducted. Sixty-five percent of voters in North Carolina…

Two new books by American University Criminology Professor Robert Johnson, including one book of satire and a second book of short stories co-authored with prisoner Victor Hassine and criminologist Ania Dobrzanska, address life in prison and on death row in the United States. Johnson’s first book of satire, ​“Justice Follies,” offers a collection of parodies that seek to highlight a host of problems within the American prison system. ​“This book made me laugh out loud. It is outrageous… and the…

Cardinal William H. Keeler (pictured), archbishop of Baltimore and chair of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee for Pro-Life Activities, made an historic visit to Maryland’s death row and met with Wesley Eugene Baker, who is scheduled to be executed in a few days. Cardinals Keeler, Theodore McCarrick of Washington, DC, and Michael Saltarelli of Wilmington, Delaware also sent a letter to Maryland Governor Robert Ehrlich urging him to commute Baker’s sentence to life in prison…

Virginia Governor Mark Warner (pictured) commuted the death sentence of Robin Lovitt to life in prison without parole, a decision he made to ​“ensure that every time the ultimate sanction is carried out, it is done fairly.” Warner noted his decision was based on concerns that Lovitt could not pursue new DNA testing on crucial evidence that could prove his innocence. The evidence, a pair of scissors that prosecutors say Lovitt used as the murder weapon, had been thrown out by a Virginia court…

As the 1,000^th execution approaches, over 1,000 religious leaders from more than a dozen religious faiths have issued an open letter calling for an end to capital punishment in the United States. The letter reaffirms the leaders’ moral opposition to the death penalty and reiterates the groups’ belief in the sacredness of life and the human capacity for change. The faith leaders called on public officials to reexamine capital punishment and to seek better ways to help communities heal from…

Mother Jones magazine recently featured an article about the growing opposition to capital punishment among U.S. Catholics, and it highlighted conservative Catholics who have changed their position in response to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ call for an end to the death penalty. The article noted that Senator Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania, formerly a staunch supporter of the deathpenalty, is now calling for limits on its use. And Senator Sam Brownback of Kansas, another conservative…

The U.S. conducted the 1,000^th execution since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976 on December 2. This is a somber milestone in the history of capital punishment, but it comes at a time when the use of the death penalty in this country is sharply declining. Death sentences, the size of death row, executions, and public support for the death penalty are all lower than they were five years ago. This event presents an opportunity to reflect on the application of the death penalty over the…