Publications & Testimony
Testimony and Statements on the Death Penalty
FROM DPIC
For testimony by former Executive Director Robert Dunham and former Executive Director Richard C. Dieter, please visit our page DPIC Testimony.
FROM RELIGIOUS LEADERS AND ORGANIZATIONS
- News Brief: Pope Francis Calls for Prayer to Abolish the Death Penalty (September 1, 2022)
- Jewish Congregation Renews Request for Department of Justice to Drop Death Penalty in Tree of Life Synagogue Killings (June 24, 2021)
- Orthodox Church Patriarch Calls Death Penalty Incompatible with Christian Beliefs (October 20, 2020)
- Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) — Statement on the Federal Death Penalty (August 5, 2019)
- Louisiana Christian Faith Leaders Call for State to Abolish Death Penalty (April 25, 2019)
- Pittsburgh Rabbi’s Wife Opposes Death Penalty for Tree of Life Synagogue Killings (March 18, 2019)
- Orthodox Jewish Organization Calls for an End to Capital Punishment in the U.S. | Death Penalty Information Center (February 17, 2016)
- Baptist Theologian Says Death Penalty Does Not Fit With Christian Theology (March 8, 2016)
- Civil and Human Rights: Death Penalty — Church & Society, The United Methodist Church
- Religious Views: Over 150 Catholic Theologians Call for Repeal of the Death Penalty (September 27, 2011)
- Power Over Life and Death — The Power to Save a Life (January 15, 2005)
- Responsibility, Rehabilitation, and Restoration: A Catholic Perspective on Crime and Criminal Justice (November 2000)
- The Challenge of Holiness: A Sermon on the Death Penalty (January 10, 2000)
- General Assembly of the Texas Conference of Churches — Resolution Opposing the Death Penalty (February 24, 1998)
- Statement by Catholic Bishops of Texas on Capital Punishment (October 20, 1997)
- Catholic Church Expresses Strong Opposition to Capital Punishment in Catechism (September 9, 1997)
- Catholic Bishops of Iowa Issue Statement on Death Penalty (February 4, 1998)
- To End the Death Penalty: A Report of the National Jewish/Catholic Consultation
- Transcript of Dr. Pat Robertson’s Speech on the Role of Religion and the Death Penalty at The College of William and Mary
- Collection of Official Catholic Statements on the Death Penalty (1980)
FROM THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY
- UN experts call for universal abolition of the death penalty | OHCHR (October 9, 2023)
- Zambia Becomes 25th Sub-Saharan African Nation to Abolish Death Penalty (December 23, 2022)
- Belgium Wants a World Without the Death Penalty (October 20, 2022)
- As France Prepares to Assume Presidency of European Union, Emmanuel Macron Announces Initiative for Worldwide Abolition of Death Penalty (October 11, 2021)
- U.N. Secretary-General, European Union Ambassador Call for Abolition of “Barbaric” Death Penalty (October 11, 2017)
- European Union Calls for Abolition of Capital Punishment as World Coalition Hosts International Death Penalty Conference (June 27, 2017)
- U.N. Investigator Talks About the Future of Solitary and the Death Penalty (November 7, 2016)
- World Congress Against the Death Penalty Renews Call for Global Moratorium, Pope Sends Message of Support (June 27, 2016)
- Declaration by the Presidency on behalf of the European Union on the 400th execution in Texas from the Council of the European Union (August 21, 2007)
- Resolution Supporting Worldwide Moratorium on Executions from the United Nations Commission on Human Rights (April 1999)
- Mary Robinson, U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights — Message to the Press Conference organized by the Death Penalty Information Center for the release of the report, “International Perspectives on the Death Penalty” (October 12, 1999)
- Status of the International Covenants on Human Rights from the United Nations Commission on Human Rights (April 1998)
FROM ADVOCACY GROUPS
- Advocacy Group Tells Supreme Court that Negative Stereotypes Distort Perception that Latinos in Death-Penalty Cases Pose Future Danger to Society (April 15, 2022)
- Disability Rights Groups, Legal Experts, and Conservative Advocates Urge Supreme Court to Strike Down Georgia’s Uniquely Harsh Proof Requirements in Death-Penalty Intellectual Disabilities Cases (January 11, 2022)
- NAACP Reaffirms Its Support of Abolishing the Death Penalty (2022)
- More Than 80 Civil Rights and Advocacy Organizations Urge President Biden to End Federal Executions | Death Penalty Information Center (February 9, 2021)
- More Than 250 Conservative Leaders Join Call to End Death Penalty (October 29, 2019)
- National Alliance on Mental Illness: The Death Penalty
- Florida League of Women Voters Calls for Halt to Executions (May 28, 2007)
- Victims Organizations Issue Joint Statement for National Victims’ Rights Week (April 19, 2007)
FROM JUDGES, LEGISLATORS, AND OTHER ORGANIZATIONS
- Republican-led Oklahoma committee considers pause on executions amid death case scrutiny (October 5, 2023)
- Former Pro-Death Penalty District Attorney Explains Why He Now Supports Abolition, and Fears Political Promises to Expand the Use of the Death Penalty (August 20, 2023)
- Pressley, Durbin Reintroduce Bill to End the Federal Death Penalty (July 13, 2023)
- The Lancet Editorial: Physician Involvement in Executions Violates Medical Ethics | Death Penalty Information Center (May 20, 2023)
- APA calls for extending ineligibility for the death penalty to adolescent offenders younger than age 21 (August 4, 2022)
- Why some Republicans are turning against the death penalty | Ron Ferguson | Ohio House of Representatives (March 8, 2022)
- Eight years on Texas’ highest criminal court turned Elsa Alcala into a death penalty skeptic. How will the court change without her? (January 26, 2019)
- AMA to Supreme Court: Doctor participation in executions unethical (August 22, 2018)
- Former Governor Bill Richardson: Death Penalty Is Bad for Business, Out of Step With World’s Views (June 16, 2017)
- Capital Punishment and Nurses’ Participation in Capital Punishment (2016)
- Former Ohio Attorney General Jim Petro Says Death Penalty Unfixable, “Not Worth It Any More” (September 12, 2016)
- Resolution Supporting Repeal of the Death Penalty, National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators (August 11, 2016)
- Retired Police Captain Says Repealing Death Penalty Is “Smart on Crime” (November 24, 2014)
- Resolution Supporting Abolition of the Death Penalty, Natl. Assoc. of Black Psychologists (2012)
- The Road to Justice and Peace by New Jersey State Senator Raymond Lesniak (February 1, 2009)
- Statement On The Federal Death Penalty System by Senator Feingold (June 7, 2001)
- Statement on the Need for a Federal Moratorium on the Death Penalty Senator Feingold (October 29, 2000)
- Death Penalty: The Torah and Today (August 23, 2000)
- Press Release for Senator Russ Feingold’s Introduction of Senate’s First Death Penalty Moratorium Bill (April 20, 2000)
- Amnesty International Southern Regional Conference: Orlando, Florida Remarks by Former Florida Chief Justice Gerald Kogan (October 23, 1999)
- American Bar Association Resolution on the Death Penalty (February 3, 1997)
FROM MURDER VICTIMS’ FAMILY MEMBERS
Items: 6491 — 6500
May 30, 2003
CONGRESSWOMAN ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON JOINS DC TEENS FOR SUMMIT ON CAPITAL PUNISHMENT
CONGRESSWOMAN ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON JOINS DC TEENS FOR SUMMIT ON CAPITAL PUNISHMENT Town hall forum generates lively student debate On Friday, May 30, 2003, local high school students joined Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (right) for the Second Annual Teen Summit on Capital Punishment. The Capitol Hill event, sponsored by the Capital Punishment Education Project (CPEP), also featured a student debate and a lively town hall forum with death penalty experts Kevin Watson of the Law…
Read MoreMay 19, 2003
Gallup Poll Analysis, May 19, 2003
May 19, 2003 Support for the Death Penalty Remains High at 74% Slight majority prefers death penalty to life imprisonment as punishment for murderby Jeffrey M. Jones GALLUP NEWS SERVICE PRINCETON, NJ — Gallup’s latest update on the death penalty shows a continued high level of public support for the death penalty for those convicted of murder. When given a choice between the death penalty and life imprisonment as a punishment for murder, a slim majority also continues to favor the death…
Read MoreMay 01, 2003
State of Missouri v. Joseph Amrine
The Missouri Supreme Court recently overturned the capital conviction of Joseph Amrine, a death row inmate accused of killing a fellow prisoner 17 years ago. The Court found “clear and convincing evidence of actual innocence that undermines confidence” in Amrine’s conviction (Supreme Court of Missouri, SC84656, April 29, 2003). In a 4 – 3 decision the Court ordered that Amrine be conditionally discharged 30 days from the date the mandate issues in this case unless the state elects to file new…
Read MoreApr 01, 2003
Amnesty International: Violation of the Rights of Foreign Nationals Under Sentence of Death
More than 60 foreign citizens representing 22 nationalities are under sentence of death in the United States of America (USA). In virtually every case, the arresting authorities failed to notify detained foreigners of their right to communicate with their consular representatives. As a consequence, foreign nationals confronted by an unfamiliar legal system were tried and sentenced to death without the benefit of the crucial support from the authorities of their native countries. Since 1993, the…
Read MoreMar 01, 2003
Prosecutorial Misconduct and Ineffective Counsel: The Case of Delma Banks, Jr.
By George Kendall, counsel for Delma Banks, Jr. Delma Banks, Jr., is a 43-year old African-American man. The State of Texas intends to execute him on March 12, 2003. In 1980, he was convicted and death-sentenced in Bowie County (east Texas) for the murder of sixteen-year-old Richard Whitehead, a white male. From the moment of his arrest, Mr. Banks has protested that he did not kill Mr. Whitehead and is innocent of this crime. He had never before been convicted of a crime. Deliberate…
Read MoreFeb 15, 2003
Whats New
DPIC-What’s New Last updated January 24, 2003 See also, Special from DPIC and New Links Another Innocent Inmate Freed From Florida’s Death Row Florida death row inmate Rudolph Holton was released on January 24, 2003, making him the 103rd person exonerated and freed from death row nationwide since 1973. Holton’s conviction for murder was overturned in 2001 and prosecutors announced today that the state was dropping all charges against Holten, who had spent 16 years on death row. Crucial…
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Feb 10, 2003
Part II: The Innocence Defense
By DAVID KARP, Times Staff Writer © St. Petersburg Times published February 10, 2003 TAMPA — It had turned cold, the days had gotten shorter, and still they had not found Flemmie Birkins. On and off for three months, the private investigators drove around Tampa looking for him. Fourteen years earlier, Birkins’ testimony had put Rudolph Holton on death row. He said Holton admitted strangling a 17-year-old. Attorney Linda McDermott says the first time she read Holton’s case, she thought, “How…
Read MoreJan 24, 2003
ANOTHER FLORIDA DEATH ROW INMATE TO BE RELEASED AFTER STATE DROPS ALL CHARGES
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 24, 2003 Contact: Richard Dieter: 202 – 293-6970 ANOTHER FLORIDA DEATH ROW INMATE TO BE RELEASED AFTER STATE DROPS ALL CHARGES Prosecution Withheld Crucial Evidence; DNA Helps Clear Rudolph Holton Washington, DC — Rudolph Holton will be released from Florida’s death row later today in Raiford, becoming the 103 person exonerated and freed from death row since 1973, according to the Death Penalty Information Center. Holton’s conviction for murder was overturned in…
Read MoreJan 15, 2003
Illinois Death Row Inmates Granted Commutation by Governor George Ryan on January 12, 2003
Illinois Death Row Inmates Granted Commutation (sentences were commuted to life in prison unless otherwise indicated) 1. ALLEN, KENNETH (B) 2. ALVINE, RONALD (W) 3. ARMSTRONG, DONALD (B) 4. ASHFORD, JAMES (B) 5. BALLARD, MARK (W) 6. BANKS, RANDY (B) 7. BARROW, RONALD (W) 8. BEAN, HAROLD (W) 9. BRISBON, HENRY (B) 10. BRITZ, DEWAYNE (W) 11. BROOKS, TERRENCE (B) 12. BROWN, ANTHONY (B) 13. BROWN, ANTON (B) 14. BURGESS, RAY (W) 15. BURT, RONALD (W) 16. BURTON, PETER (W) 17. BUSS, TIMOTHY (W) 18.
Read MoreJan 12, 2003
Illinois Death Row Inmates Granted Commutation by Governor George Ryan on January 12, 2003
Illinois Death Row Inmates Granted Commutation (sentences were commuted to life in prison unless otherwise indicated) 1. ALLEN, KENNETH (B) 2. ALVINE, RONALD (W) 3. ARMSTRONG, DONALD (B) 4. ASHFORD, JAMES (B) 5. BALLARD, MARK (W) 6. BANKS, RANDY (B) 7. BARROW, RONALD (W) 8. BEAN, HAROLD (W) 9. BRISBON, HENRY (B) 10. BRITZ, DEWAYNE (W) 11. BROOKS, TERRENCE (B) 12. BROWN, ANTHONY (B) 13. BROWN, ANTON (B) 14. BURGESS, RAY (W) 15. BURT, RONALD (W) 16. BURTON, PETER (W) 17. BUSS, TIMOTHY (W) 18.
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