New Voices
,Mar 31, 2017
As Arkansas moves toward attempting to conduct an unprecedented eight executions in eleven days, former corrections officials from across the country are…
International
,New Voices
,Jun 19, 2013
On June 12 – 15, political leaders and criminal justice experts from five continents gathered in Madrid, Spain, for the Fifth World Congress Against the Death Penalty. The World Congress was co-sponsored by Spain, France, Norway, an…
New Voices
,Apr 20, 2020
Jerry Givens (pictured), who performed 62 executions during his time as a Virginia corrections officer, but later became an activist against the death penalty, died April 13, 2020 of COVID-19. He was 67 years old.…
Innocence
,New Voices
,Apr 24, 2015
Four retired death-row prison officials — two wardens, a chaplain, and an execution supervisor — recently described the effect that carrying out executions has had on them. Frank Thom…
Innocence
,New Voices
,Feb 14, 2013
Jerry Givens spent 17 years as the correctional officer in charge of Virginia’s electrocutions. During his tenure, he carried out 62 executions. He now strongly opposes the death penalty. The thought that h…
Innocence
,Race
,New Voices
,Apr 25, 2018
Three powerful new documentaries that explore the modern death penalty in the United States are set to premiere this April. Oscar-winning actress Viola Davis and Julius Tennon are executive producers of The Last Defense…
Upcoming Executions
,Mar 17, 2020
Responding to escalating health concerns caused by the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals (TCCA) has temporarily halted the execution of John Hummel. In an order issued on March 16,…
History of the Death Penalty
,Public Opinion
,Recent Legislative Activity
,Feb 05, 2021
With two historic votes, the Virginia General Assembly has moved the commonwealth to the cusp of becoming the first Southern state to abolish capital punishment, approving separate bills that would end the state’s death penalty an…
Recent Legislative Activity
,Feb 04, 2021
The Virginia Senate moved the commonwealth one step closer to becoming the first Southern state to abolish capital punishment, voting 21 – 17 on February 3, 2021 to approve a bill that would end the state’s death penalty and resente…
