Capital Punishment
Capital Punishment is a profoundly complex and controversial aspect of the criminal justice system. This section provides articles that explore the history, legal frameworks, and ethical debates surrounding Capital Punishment in various jurisdictions. Correctional professionals can gain insights into the procedures, implications, and ongoing discussions about using the death penalty. Understanding Capital Punishment is crucial for those involved in its administration and those engaged in broader criminal justice reform efforts. For further context, explore related topics on supermax prisons.
In a letter to drop his appeals, Derrick Dearman wrote that “it’s not fair to the victims or their families to keep prolonging the justice that they so rightly deserve”
The Idaho Department of Correction retrofitted its execution chamber at the maximum security prison south of Boise to retain lethal injection as its preferred method
The inmate said he took responsibility for the slayings, regretted his actions and was praying for prison officials, officers and “for my brothers and sisters behind these walls”
As the execution drugs were being administered, Eric Branch let out a blood-curdling scream and yelled “murderers!”
In sparing the life of Thomas “Bart” Whitaker, Gov. Greg Abbott accepted the state parole board’s rare clemency recommendation
Alabama has moved closer to approving the use of nitrogen gas in executions - a method so far untested in the United States
The comments come after an online news outlet reported that Missouri bought execution drugs from a compounding pharmacy with a troubling record
Florida is preparing to execute a man convicted of raping and killing a college student in 1993 so he could steal her car
The inmate argues there is an increased risk of a botched execution because of damage to his veins from illnesses
A legislative committee approved the bill despite concerns from some lawmakers that the discussion was rushed and family members of victims weren’t given enough time to weigh in
A judge ruled that an inmate who has battled lymphoma and hepatitis C has veins that are in good enough shape that the state can execute him by injection this week
The Texas parole board made a rare recommendation to commute a death sentence
The fate of the shooter will depend on his mental state and the wishes of the victims’ families
Thomas “Bart” Whitaker, 38, is scheduled to be executed for plotting a 2003 attack that left his mother and brother dead and almost killed his father
The inmate argued that a lethal injection would be cruel because lymphoma and hepatitis C have damaged his veins
An effort to abolish the death penalty in Washington passed out of the state Senate and now heads to the House
Alabama moved closer to allowing death row inmates to be executed with nitrogen gas, a method that has so far never been used
The Indiana Supreme Court has ruled prison officials can change execution drugs without going through a public review
The ACLU of Nebraska said it plans to challenge the district court’s ruling
Gov. John Kasich issued a reprieve for Raymond Tibbetts that pushed his Feb. 13 execution forward to mid-October
The judge wants an independent medical expert to review the inmate’s claims that he is too sick to be executed
Ross Geiger believes he and other jurors were misled about the “terrible conditions” of Raymond Tibbetts’ upbringing
A court has overturned an order requiring Louisiana prison officials to keep the heat index on death row below 88 degrees for three ailing condemned killers
John David Battaglia fatally shot his two young daughters, ages 9 and 6, while their mother listened on the phone
Sen. Paul Bussman proposed legislation to grant Anthony Ray Hinton $1.5 million over three years, who spent 28 years on death row for two murders
No executions have been carried out in South Carolina since 2011, in part because of no available drugs for lethal injections
John David Battaglia, who fatally shot his two young daughters while their mother listened on the phone, is set to be the nation’s third execution this year
A Utah bill would make killers of first responders eligible for the death penalty
The DOC unveiled a revised single-drug method of execution, but the drugs are barred from import or execution use
William Rayford became the nation’s second inmate put to death this year for the slaying of Carol Lynn Thomas Hall
William Rayford is set to be executed Tuesday and would be the nation’s second inmate executed this year
William Rayford, who was convicted of the 1999 slaying of Carol Lynn Thomas Hall, is set to be the nation’s second inmate executed this year
David Pascoe suggested the method after a former death row inmate became the latest killer to get a reprieve