Studies
Items: 271 — 280
May 17, 2011
ARBITRARINESS: Pennsylvania’s Death Penalty Mostly Means Life
A recent Philadelphia Inquirer study revealed that the death penalty is almost never handed down for homicides in Pennsylvania, and that executions are even more unlikely. From a compilation of 1,975 homicide cases dating from 2007 to Feb. 3, 2011 provided by the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts, only 8 resulted in a death sentence. Almost all cases ended with a sentence of life without parole, with guilty pleas, acquittals or dismissal of charges. Of the…
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May 11, 2011
NEW RESOURCES: Childhood Abuse May Have Lasting Behavioral Effects Similar to Trauma from War
Dr. Bessel van der Kolk, professor of psychiatry at Boston University School of Medicine, recently discussed the impact of violence on children, comparing its effects to problems faced by soldiers returning from war. He noted, “For every soldier returning from Iraq and Afghanistan with symptoms of depression or PTSD [post-traumatic stress disorder], there are around 10 children in the United States who are traumatized by exposure to family violence, sexual abuse, neglect and assault, with…
Read MoreApr 28, 2011
NEW RESOURCES: Most Recent DEATH ROW USA Report Now Available
The latest edition of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund’s “Death Row USA” shows that the number of people on the death row in the United States is continuing to slowly decline, falling to 3,260 as of April 1, 2010. In 2000, there were 3,682 inmates on death row. Nationally, the racial composition of those on death row is 44% white, 41% black, and 12% Latino/Latina. California continues to have the largest death row population (702), followed by…
Read MoreApr 26, 2011
NEW RESOURCES: DPIC State Information Pages
DPIC is pleased to announce the launch of its latest resource, State Information Pages, providing historical and current information on the death penalty for each state. This resource is a work-in-progress, but we are happy to present the first 15 state pages. Our original state-by-state database is still the best place to look for frequently-updated information such as execution totals and murder rates. The new pages are designed as a source of information…
Read MoreApr 22, 2011
STUDIES: New Report Cites Multiple Problems with North Carolina’s Death Penalty
According to a comprehensive review of studies on the death penalty by Matthew Robinson, Professor of Government and Justice Studies at Appalachian State University, the death penalty in North Carolina is expensive, racially biased and ineffective. Prof. Robinson analyzed data from more than 20 death penalty studies and found them to be remarkably consistent in their conclusions. He said, “In the past six years, three states have abolished the death penalty:…
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Apr 21, 2011
STUDIES: Texas Forensic Science Panel Calls for Changes but Says Nothing About Possible Wrongful Execution
On April 15, the Texas Forensic Science Commission recommended more education and training for fire investigators following its review of the controversial case of Cameron Todd Willingham (pictured), who was executed in 2004 for setting the fire that killed his three daughters. The Commission made 16 recommendations for investigators, lawyers and lawmakers. It did not, however, decide whether arson investigators in Willingham’s case were negligent or guilty…
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Apr 18, 2011
NEW RESOURCES: New Database for International Death Penalty
Northwestern University School of Law, in conjunction with the World Coalition Against the Death Penalty, has compiled a new resource on the use of the death penalty in every country around the world. This searchable database, www.deathpenaltyworldwide.org, contains information on each country’s death penalty status, methods of execution, number of executions, and crimes punishable by the death penalty. The database also includes demographic…
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Apr 08, 2011
STUDIES: Victims’ Families React Negatively to Serving as Basis for Death Penalty
A recent study by Professors Thomas Mowen and Ryan Schroeder of the University of Louisville found that public support for the death penalty has shifted away from traditional justifications (such as its purported deterrent effect, its imagined cost-saving value, and its safeguard of innocent lives), and has been replaced by rationales of retribution and closure on behalf of victims’ families. According to the study, which was published in Western Criminology Review,…
Read MoreApr 04, 2011
STUDIES: New Report – Animals Put to Death with Greater Care Than Humans in Texas
As Texas prepares to execute Cleve Foster on April 5, a new report released by the ACLU of Texas and Northwestern University’s Center for International Human Rights reveals that procedures for euthanizing animals in the state are more carefully regulated than the protocol for executing death row inmates. In March, Texas announced that it will continue to use a risky three-drug protocol for executions, and will replace the critical first drug, which is in…
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Apr 01, 2011
STUDIES: North Carolina’s Death Penalty is Error-Prone and Rarely Applied
A new study from North Carolina shows that the state’s death penalty is error-prone and rarely implemented. A study of the death penalty from 1977 to 2009 found that two out of three death sentences were overturned on appeal, an error rate of 67%. The study also found that only 20% of death sentences resulted in an execution. The review of the state’s death penalty was made by Matthew Robinson, a professor of Government & Justice Studies at Appalachian State University.
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