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.
Ruben Gutierrez was sent to death row after being convicted of capital murder for the 1998 killing of 85-year-old Escolastica Harrison
Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb said that the state is seeking an execution date for Joseph Corcoran, a man convicted in the killings of four people in 1997
“He deserved nothing less than today’s final justice for the savage, barbaric, and torturous acts of suffering he inflicted upon Layla-Dawn before then ending her life,” the victim’s mother said
Arkansas is facing a lawsuit from drug distributor McKesson Corp., which wants the state to return its remaining supply of vecuronium bromide
Ohio plans to use a massive dose of 500 milligrams of midazolam, which attorneys for the state say is more than enough to render inmates unconscious
Tommy Arthur’s attorney says a wig he wore during the murder is the only piece of physical evidence that can exonerate him
The governor said he does not think Arkansas needs to change its execution protocol, citing court rulings that have upheld the use of the sedative midazolam
The suit claims the FDA’s refusal to release the drugs for use in lawful executions will cause ongoing harm to the state
Kenneth Williams’ attorneys demanded an investigation into what they call a “problematic execution”
Kenneth Williams, 38, is set to die for killing a former deputy warden following an escape
J.W. Ledford is scheduled to die May 16 for the fatal stabbing of his neighbor, Dr. Harry Johnston
The standard procedure has been to turn off a microphone after an inmate’s last statement and turn it on again for the official pronouncement of death
Proponents of the ban argued cash-strapped Louisiana should not be spending money on death penalty appeals, especially when only one person has been put to death since 2002
The court has agreed to re-examine Ohio’s new and twice-rejected lethal injection process as the state struggles to resume executions
The poor health of both men, their lawyers claimed, could make it difficult for them to respond during a consciousness check following a megadose of midazolam
Judge Alex Kozinski called the death penalty “barbaric” and “vicious”
The court has ruled previously that poor defendants whose mental health might be a factor in the criminal charges they are facing have a right to an expert’s evaluation
Arkansas has put to death inmate Marcel Williams, marking the first double execution in the United States since 2000
While California has long been what one expert calls “a symbolic death penalty state,” the nation’s most populous state may now be easing back toward allowing executions
The measure bars the release of information that could reveal the identity of a manufacturer or supplier
Federal officials have said the drug has no legal uses in the United States
Gov. Terry McAuliffe said jurors were given false information that may have swayed their sentencing decision
Ledell Lee was pronounced dead four minutes before his death warrant was due to expire at midnight
The average time between sentencing and execution for prisoners executed in 2013 topped 15 years
Arkansas now faces an uphill battle to execute any inmates before the end of April, when another of its drugs expires
U.S. District Judge Catherine Perry, in a ruling Thursday, called the portion of Carman Deck’s trial that led to the latest death sentence “fundamentally unfair”
AG Leslie Rutledge said Arkansas would press ahead with other planned executions, including two set for Thursday
Justices on Monday reassigned the cases from Pulaski County Circuit Judge Wendell Griffen
Lawyers for the state of Arkansas fought on multiple legal fronts Monday to begin a series of double executions before a key sedative used in lethal injections expires
After barring Arkansas from executing eight inmates, Judge Wendell Griffen made a stir at an anti-death penalty rally
Although the plan faces multiple legal hurdles, no other state has executed that many people so quickly since SCOTUS reauthorized the death penalty in 1976
Here is a look at the midazolam, vecuronium bromide and potassium chloride in Arkansas’ execution protocol
The last time that a state put more than one inmate to death on the same day was more than 16 years ago