Two California death row prisoners released
March 8, 2019
In the space of one week last month, two men walked out of prison, each of whom had spent decades on death row. Freddie Lee
In the space of one week last month, two men walked out of prison, each of whom had spent decades on death row. Freddie Lee
“Yay Gavin Newsom. I’m very thankful to him for having the courage, the guts, to stand up and say before California murders anyone on my
In New Hampshire on Thursday, by a veto-proof vote of 279-88, the House repealed the state’s death penalty and replaced it with a sentence of
In their paper, ” ‘A World of Steel-Eyed Death’: An Empirical Evaluation of the Failure of the Strickland Standard to Ensure Adequate Counsel to Defendants
“Everyone has a breaking point. Anyone can be convinced to confess, to lie. And it’s not only that they can but they do it at
California Gov. Gavin Newsom today ordered additional DNA testing on evidence in the case of Kevin Cooper, who was sent to death row almost 34
The Toledo Blade reports that Ohio Governor Mike DeWine is putting executions on hold because, he said today, “Ohio is not going to execute someone
Proposition 66 was passed by popular vote in 2016. Proponents insisted the proposition would speed up the process of capital trials and executions. It was big
Republican Governor Mike DeWine postponed the execution of Warren Keith Henness late last month and ordered the state Department of Rehabilitation & Correction to “to
Americans’ support for the death penalty is now at 55 percent, the lowest number since 1972, according to a poll released by Gallup today. The number “continues a trend toward diminished death penalty support as many states have issued moratoria on executions or abolished capital punishment,” Gallup says. The poll shows that support among Democrats has been steadily decreasing for the past five years, with just 39 percent favoring it
In August, two of our longest-serving and most dedicated board members left to travel, spend time with family and friends, and simply relax and enjoy their rich and fulfilling lives. We miss their wisdom, insight, and guidance, but are genuinely happy for them and grateful for their long service. Virginia Van Zandt In her 25 years on the Death Penalty Focus Board of Directors, Virginia Van Zandt served as Vice
Death Penalty Focus is partnering with CharityBuzz to bring you two new charity auctions–your chance to meet Mike Farreell and Noah Wyle, all while supporting our work. Lunch with M*A*S*H Star and DPF President Mike Farrell in Los Angeles Mike Farrell is best known from his starring role as Captain BJ Hunnicutt in the hit series M*A*S*H and Jim Hansen in Providence but he has also worked behind the scenes
Death Penalty Focus is partnering with CharityBuzz to bring you two new charity auctions–your chance to meet Mike Farreell and Noah Wyle, all while supporting our work. Lunch with M*A*S*H Star and DPF President Mike Farrell in Los Angeles Mike Farrell is best known from his starring role as Captain BJ Hunnicutt in the hit series M*A*S*H and Jim Hansen in Providence but he has also worked behind the scenes
On September 29, the United States voted against a United Nations resolution that condemns the death penalty as a sentence for those found guilty of engaging in same-sex sexual acts. The US was one of 13 countries that opposed the resolution, titled “The Question of the Death Penalty,” joining such countries as China, Egypt, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia. The resolution “urges states that have not yet abolished the death penalty
Duane Buck was sentenced to life in prison last week, 20 years after he was first sentenced to death. In a plea deal, the 54-year-old Buck pleaded guilty to two murders, and to two additional counts of attempted murder, in exchange for the life sentence. Buck was sentenced to death in 1997 for the murder two years earlier of two people, his girlfriend, Debra Gardner, and her friend, Kenneth Butler,
The death penalty “is inextricably linked to poverty. Social and economic inequalities affect access to justice for those who are sentenced to death for several reasons: defendants may lack resources (social and economic, but also political power) to defend themselves and will in some cases be discriminated against because of their social status.” That’s according to the World Coalition Against the Death Penalty, which observes its 15th World Day Against
“This is a horrible collection of half-truths, and misleading information. It is shameful.” The “horrible collection of half-truths” that Dale Recinella, a Catholic chaplain on Florida’s death row, is referring to is a recently-published book, By Man Shall His Blood Be Shed: A Catholic Defense of Capital Punishment, written by Edward Feser and Joseph M. Bessette. The authors’ support for capital punishment is based on arguments that were debunked long
In Texas, 38-year-old Robert Pruett was executed last night, convicted of murdering a prison guard in 1999. He had been in prison since he was 15 years old, sentenced to 99 years in prison simply for being with his father when his father stabbed a neighbor to death. That conviction was the result of the state’s “law of parties” rule, which allows a person to be charged with murder, even