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.
Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen is petitioning the county Superior Court to resentence 14 men — all being held in San Quentin State Prison — to terms of life in prison without the possibility of parole
“I’ve decided to drop my appeals and have my sentence carried out… I was fairly tried and convicted. I agreed with the court’s decision,” the inmate said
The inmate is the first person executed in Oklahoma this year and the 12th put to death since the state resumed executions in 2021 following a nearly seven-year hiatus
According to DOC spokesman Solomon Graves, the state hasn’t had a full set of execution drugs since its supply of midazolam expired April 30
Attorneys for Ohio’s only condemned female killer are asking the state Supreme Court to reconsider a ruling upholding her death sentence for the third time
The execution was the state’s second of the year
Questions were raised in a court case about whether Arkansas improperly used a doctor’s name and license to purchase one of the drugs
Robert Bryant Melson, 46, is scheduled to die by lethal injection Thursday evening at a south Alabama prison
Robert Melson is scheduled to be executed Thursday for the killing of three restaurant employees during a 1994 robbery
The ballot initiative was designed to “mend not end” capital punishment in California, where nearly 750 inmates are on Death Row and only 13 have been executed since 1978
The state attorney general asked SCOTUS to let an execution proceed this week, arguing that questions about a lethal injection drug have been settled by the courts
Death penalty opponents are challenging a ballot measure that aimed to reform a dysfunctional system that hasn’t executed a condemned killer in more than a decade
The state has been unable to carry out executions on more than two dozen condemned killers because of court challenges to its proposed three-drug method
Robert Melson is one of several inmates who filed lawsuits arguing that the state’s execution method is unconstitutional
In 2014, the Ind. DOC chose a three-drug process of methohexital, potassium chloride and pancuronium bromide for lethal injections. The combination has not been used for a U.S. execution
An Alabama inmate is asking an appellate court to halt his upcoming lethal injection using a sedative that his lawyers say has “failed to work properly in four states”
The appeal argued that the state’s source of execution drugs should be disclosed under Missouri’s open-records laws
A man convicted of killing four people in Omaha in 2013 has been given Nebraska’s first death sentence since the state’s voters reinstated the punishment in November
Justice Bob Pemberton said prison officials could point to no more than isolated, vague threats against suppliers of execution drugs
Tommy Arthur had a total of seven execution dates postponed
Tommy Arthur is scheduled to be put to death Thursday evening for the 1982 murder-for-hire slaying of Troy Wicker
Tommy Arthur has had his execution postponed seven times since 2001, so many delays that victims’ rights advocates derisively call him the “Houdini” of death row
The state stopped Romell Broom’s execution after two hours in September 2009, when executioners failed to find a usable vein following 18 attempts to insert needles
Without access to the lethal injection drugs, DOC spokesman Ken Pastorick says, “the state will not conduct executions”
The bill is based on Texas procedures and will require inmates to raise claims, such as ineffective counsel, at the same time as appeals over alleged trial errors
Rep. Steve Pylant argued that although he firmly supported the death penalty, delays in carrying out executions had made it too expensive
Defense lawyer Larry Krasner says he will immediately stop seeking the death penalty if elected and will prioritize education, drug treatment and job training
The bill would require inmates to raise claims such as ineffective counsel at the same time as appeals claiming trial errors
J.W. Ledford was convicted of murder in the January 1992 stabbing death of Dr. Harry Johnston
Judge J.R. Gaines said “any release of the execution logs would be detrimental to the best interests of the public”
J.W. Ledford’s lawyers have suggested using a firing squad instead, but that’s not allowed under Georgia law
The ruling noted that there was no physical evidence to tie Ralph Wright to the killings of his ex-girlfriend and their 15-month-old son
J.W. Ledford Jr.'s lawyers say there’s a substantial risk he’ll experience great pain as the drug attacks his respiratory system due to treatment with the drug gabapentin
