Publications & Testimony

New York’s death penalty remains in abeyance, having been found unconstitutional by the state’s high court. A recent N.Y. Newsday editorial called on lawmakers to carefully examine the fundamental problems with the death penalty before considering any reinstatement legislation. The editorial noted: On the steps of New York City Hall on Thursday, a coalition of death penalty opponents — prominently including City Council Speaker Gifford Miller and former gubernatorial candidate Andrew Cuomo…

As the Supreme Court heard arguments in the case of Roper v. Simmons on October 13, newspapers throughout the country featured editorials and opinion pieces calling on the U.S. to abandon the practice of executing juvenile offenders: The New York Times When the Supreme Court considers an Eighth Amendment challenge, it looks to “evolving standards of decency” — and there has been a steady movement nationally away from the juvenile death penalty. In the 15 years since the Supreme Court last…

St. Louis Post-Dispatch October 14, 2004 Editorial The U.S. Supreme Court may be on the verge of joining the rest of the civilized world in banning the execution of juveniles. Justice Sandra Day O’Connor made just one remark during Wednesday’s hour-long argument over whether to execute Christopher Simmons, who was 17 when he murdered Shirley Crook of Fenton, Mo. Justice O’Connor said there was “about the same consensus” against the juvenile death penalty today as there had been against…

University Wire (University of Florida) October 14, 2004 Editorial The Supreme Court has filled its docket with thorny issues during the closing stages of an election in which the court’s future is an important campaign issue. The court heard arguments Wednesday as to whether a 2003 Missouri Supreme Court ruling that decided executing a juvenile offender who committed murder at age 17 would violate the Eighth Amendment, which bans cruel and unusual punishment. The list of nations that…

Battleboro (Vermont) Reformer October 13, 2004 Too young to die? One night in 1993, Shirley Crook was awakened by 2 burglars in her Missouri home. She was bound with duct tape. She was dragged out of the house. And, still alive and conscious, she was tossed from a railroad trestle into a river where she died. Anglers found her body and within 2 days Christopher Simmons confessed to committing the crimes with a friend. A jury later convicted him of murder and a judge sentenced him to…

Battleboro (Vermont) Reformer October 13, 2004 One night in 1993, Shirley Crook was awakened by 2 burglars in her Missouri home. She was bound with duct tape. She was dragged out of the house. And, still alive and conscious, she was tossed from a railroad trestle into a river where she died. Anglers found her body and within 2 days Christopher Simmons confessed to committing the crimes with a friend. A jury later convicted him of murder and a judge sentenced him to death. The law didn’t…

Following a call from the Houston Police Chief and from state legislators to halt executions in cases from Harris County, four of the state’s largest newspapers published editorials in support of a moratorium on executions. The Houston police crime lab has been plagued with errors in DNA testing and preservation of evidence. There have been far more executions from Harris County (Houston) than from any other county in the country. AUSTIN AMERICAN-STATESMAN (N)othing can justify an execution…

In “Waiting to Die: Life on Death Row,” Richard M. Rossi provides a first-hand account of his daily life on Arizona’s death row. Rossi was sentenced to death in 1983 and has taken responsibility for the murder he committed. He was originally offered a plea bargain with a life sentence, but he decided to go to trial. He has been on death row for 20 years. In his book, Rossi details how prisoners survive on death row, the conditions under which they live, and the psychological toll that living…

The Republican (Springfield, MA) October 11, 2004 Editorial One day, we hope, the United States Supreme Court will rule that the death penalty is unconstitutional. In the meantime, the nation’s highest court can take a step toward that end by ruling it unconstitutional to execute a juvenile. On Oct. 13, the court will hear arguments in Roper vs. Simmons, a challenge to the constitutionality of the death penalty for persons who committed crimes when they were 16 or 17 years old. The United…