Publications & Testimony

Death sentences have declined across the country. The following four cases are recent illustrations of this trend: In Cook County, Illinois, a judge sentenced Ronald Hinton to life without parole, citing abuse in the defendant’s background and his remorse for the crimes. Hinton admitted to three murders. (Chicago Tribune, August 25, 2004). In Butler County, Ohio, a three-judge panel sentenced Tom West to life without parole for a shooting spree at a trucking company in which two people were…

The San Mateo County District Attorney’s Office reflected on a number of factors in deciding to forego seeking a death sentence for Seti Christopher Scanlan, whose first trial ended in a mistrial after he took the stand and begged jurors to sentence him to death. Prosecutors are now seeking a sentence of life in prison for Scanlan after concluding that “it was not reasonably likely that we would get a jury that would deliver the death penalty.” The case has already cost taxpayers more than half…

In his Scientific American magazine article entitled, “The Case of the Unsolved Crime Decline,” criminologist Richard Rosenfeld examines why U.S. crime rates dropped more than 40% in the 1990’s and what lessons current policy-makers can learn from this decline. Rosenfeld provides an overview and evaluation of previous research showing a link in the crime rate decline and factors such as changes in demographics, law-enforcement practices, economic conditions, incarceration rates, domestic…

A broad spectrum of the public is seeking clemency for Texas death row inmate James Allridge, who is scheduled to be executed on Thursday, August 26^th. Among those pointing to Allridge’s rehabilitation as the basis for mercy are four of the original jurors in his trial, two former death row prison guards, a retired prison system administrator, a Fort Worth city councilman, one of Allridge’s former employers, and murder victims’ family members. The supporters state that since Aldridge arrived on…

The Summer 2004 DePaul Law Review contains presentations and articles from the University’s two-day “Race to Execution” Symposium, an event that featured remarks and presentations from some of the nation’s most renowned death penalty experts. This law review examines the role that race has historically had and continues to play in our nation’s death penalty debate. Among the articles are presentations examining the racial bias in capital sentencing, how implicit racial attitudes of capital…

Professor James R. Eisenberg’s new book, “Law, Psychology, and Death Penalty Litigation,” provides a thorough introduction to the role that forensic psychology plays in capital trials. Using a step-by-step approach that covers the historical and current legal context of capital punishment, Eisenberg describes the various tasks that might confront the forensic psychologist in a death penalty trial, including issues of competency to be executed, mental retardation, risk assessment, and related…

A recent Albany Times Union editorial called on state legislators to abandon attempts to reinstate New York’s death penalty, which the state’s highest court found unconstitutional because the statute’s jury instructions could be coercive. The June 24^th New York Court of Appeals ruling in People v. Stephen LaValle spurred proposed legislation to remedy the statute. Some legal critics who have examined the new bill say that it may also be unconstitutional. The editorial echoed this sentiment…

In his new book “Jurors’ Stories of Death: How America’s Death Penalty Invests in Inequality,” author Benjamin Fleury-Steiner draws on real-life accounts of white and black jurors in capital trials to discuss the effect of race on the sentencing process. Through his survey of the jurors’ experiences, he reveals that race is often a factor in sentencing and that the U.S. justice system can foster an “us versus them” mentality among jurors serving in capital trials. Fleury-Steiner finds that the…

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Brenda Bowser August 11, 2004 Office: 202.293.6970 — Cell: 301.906.4460 Additional Contacts Listed Below EXPERTS QUESTION “QUICK FIX” TO NEW YORK’S DEATH PENALTY Legislators May Address “Deadlock Instructions” With Equally Flawed Measure WASHINGTON, DC – Constitutional experts, law enforcement officials, and leading civic organizations have raised serious concerns about a proposed “quick fix” to New York’s flawed death penalty statute. Legal experts say the…