Publications & Testimony
Items: 51 — 60
Dec 18, 2024
4th Circuit Affirms Dismissal of Legal Challenge to South Carolina’s Restriction on Media Access to Prisoners
U.S. Court of Appeals Fourth…
Read MoreDec 17, 2024
Indiana’s First Execution in 15 Years Raises Serious Constitutional Concerns
If Joseph Corcoran had been sentenced to death just a few miles to the east, across the border in Ohio instead of in Fort Wayne, Indiana, it’s likely that a court would have barred his execution. Ohio law prevents a person with a serious mental illness (SMI) at the time of their crime, defined as schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, bipolar disorder, or delusional disorder, from being put to death. Mr. Corcoran, who has a long history of paranoid…
Read MoreDec 16, 2024
Florida Supreme Court Hears Oral Arguments Challenging Non-Unanimity Sentencing Standard
Urbantallahassee, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by— sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia…
Read MoreDec 10, 2024
Federal Court Stays Clemency Hearing of Oklahoma Prisoner with December Execution Date
On December 9, 2024, the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals issued a temporary stay for Kevin Underwood’s clemency hearing scheduled that same-day with the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board, which is lacking its full five-member compliment after two resignations in recent months and one last minute addition on December 6. This decision marks the second time Mr. Underwood’s clemency hearing has been canceled. Meanwhile, Mr. Underwood, age 44, is facing a December 19 execution…
Read MoreDec 09, 2024
Religious Groups, Former Corrections Officials, Pro-life Voices, and Many Others Urge President Biden to Commute Federal Death Sentences
In letters released on December 9, 2024, hundreds of stakeholders urged President Joe Biden (pictured) to commute all federal death sentences before his term ends, citing racial bias, systemic arbitrariness, and the failure of the federal death penalty to enhance public safety. This collective request reflects broad, bipartisan acknowledgement of the flaws in the capital punishment system and aligns with the national downward trend of support for the death…
Read MoreDec 06, 2024
Indiana Plans to Resume Executions after 15-Year Pause with a Severely Mentally Ill “Volunteer”
The state of Indiana is scheduled to carry out its first execution in 15 years on December 18, 2024, with the scheduled execution of Joseph Corcoran (pictured). Sentenced to death for the 1997 murders of four people, including his brother, Mr. Corcoran has a long history of serious mental illness. He has been diagnosed with schizophrenia, which includes symptoms of hallucinations and delusions, and multiple experts have testified that he is incompetent to face…
Read MoreDec 05, 2024
Hidden Casualties: Executions Harm Mental Health of Prison Staff
In March, Oklahoma officials asked the state’s high court to increase the time between executions from 60 to 90 days, citing the“lasting trauma” and“psychological toll” of executions on corrections officers. But Judge Gary Lumpkin dismissed these concerns, telling officials that prison staff needed to“suck it up” and“man up.” A few weeks later, Brian Dorsey was executed in Missouri after the governor ignored the pleas of an unprecedented 72 corrections…
Read MoreDec 04, 2024
Worldwide Monthly Roundup: China, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, and Vietnam
According to numbers reported by Agence France-Presse, Saudi Arabia executed 303 people in 2024 — the nation’s highest ever total, and currently the second highest known execution total worldwide for this year. November alone saw the execution of more than 100 foreign nationals, nearly triple the number in each of the past two years. UN human rights experts expressed concern following the December 3 execution of three Egyptian nationals, calling on the government to halt the pending…
Read MoreDec 03, 2024
On Giving Tuesday, what does the truth about the death penalty mean to you?
For nearly 35 years, the Death Penalty Information Center (DPI) has served the public, the media, policymakers, attorneys, and educators with data and analysis on issues concerning capital punishment and the people it affects. DPI is entirely supported by the generosity of foundations and individual donors, like you. If our work is valuable to you, please consider making a tax-deductible donation here or setting up a recurring monthly donation via…
Read MoreDec 02, 2024
Arizona Attorney General Announces State Ready to Resume Executions as Governor Hobbs Abruptly Ends Independent Review of Execution Protocols
Arizona…
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