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.
The execution planned for Jan. 25 would be the first attempt to use a new method since lethal injection was introduced in 1982; three states have authorized nitrogen hypoxia as an execution method
“Generally, we believe in the use of capital punishment. But we are in agreement that the death penalty is not the appropriate punishment for Brian Dorsey,” a letter from dozens of former and current Missouri DOC employees stated
Paul Cianca shot TSA officer Gerardo Hernandez 12 times with a rifle and wounded three others in the 2013 rampage
A reporter whose stories have been critical of Mo.'s death penalty procedures sued the chief, accusing him of wrongly excluding him from being an execution witness
In 2013, the court heard from mental health experts who said Gerald Eldridge had inconsistencies and faked mental health symptoms
Relatives of slain Sisters Margaret Held and Paula Merrill have expressed their opposition to capital punishment
Five legal groups, who are supporting death row inmate Mark Christeson, told the court that he can’t receive an adequate defense with the money allocated
Joshua Komisarjevsky and Steven Hayes, both recently resentenced to life without parole, were transferred to separate maximum-security facilities in Pa.
John Battaglia received a reprieve on his execution back in April while officials considered an incompetency claim and mental illness evidence
Austin Harrouff will be charged with first-degree murder, meaning he’ll face capital punishment or life without parole
Governor Susana Martinez plans to attempt to reinstate the death penalty in response to recent events including the killing of a police officer
A bill to abolish capital punishment cleared the state Senate by a single vote last year but was defeated in the House earlier this year
The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals has stopped the schedule execution of inmate Robert Pruett
A serial killer known as the “Grim Sleeper” was sentenced to death Wednesday for the murders of nine women and a teenage girl that went unsolved for years
Louisiana has spent more than 3 years and $1 million in taxpayer money to fight a lawsuit that claims three death row inmates are exposed to dangerous heat levels
The only woman on Pennsylvania’s death row had her sentence thrown out by a judge who cited inadequate representation at her trial
A stay has been issued preventing the state from setting new execution dates as some inmates appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court
Lawyers for eight death row inmates in Arkansas say their challenge of the state’s execution procedures should warrant a U.S. Supreme Court review
Georgia executed its sixth inmate this year, the most in any calendar year in the state since the death penalty was reinstated
State said that it has a new supply of a drug used for lethal injections that had expired last month, potentially clearing the way to resume executions
It’s the most executions carried out by the state in a calendar year since the death penalty was reinstated four decades ago
Attorneys for eight inmates asked Arkansas’ highest court to reconsider its decision upholding a state law that keeps information about lethal injection drugs confidential
In a jailhouse conversation Howard Hawk Willis’ ex-wife recorded Willis saying, “Yeah. I blew their brains out”
The Texas Attorney General’s Office agreed to the tests to settle a lawsuit filed on behalf of two death row inmates that challenged the use of the drugs
Court upheld a ruling that said Robert Moreno Ramos can’t file another appeal claiming he wasn’t told he could get legal help from the Mexican government
Governor wants the DOC to find a new supply of the drug rather than use another method allowed under a law passed last year
John Wayne Conner, 60, is scheduled to be put to death July 14
Attorneys argued that a black woman was wrongfully excluded from a jury during the inmate’s trial
The state could be able to resume executions early next month after an appeals court denied to rehear a case challenging a drug the state plans to use
Lawyers for the state said that its current supply of midazolam expired and Arizona’s sources of the drug have dried up because of pressure from death penalty opponents
John Wayne Conner, 60, is to be put to death July 14
