Execution and Death Row Statistics

Clark County Prosecuting Attorney - U.S. Executions Since 1976.

Complete listing of all executions in the United States since 1976; Date of Execution, State of Execution, Method of Execution, Murderer's Name-Race-Sex-Age at murder and execution, Date of Birth of Murderer, Victim's Name-Race-Sex-Age at murder and execution, Date of Murder, Method of Murder, Victim Relationship to Murderer, Date of Sentencing; Factual and legal summaries with reposted news accounts of case.

Death Penalty Information Center.

Probably the single most comprehensive and authoritative internet rersource on the death penalty, with stats conscienciously kept up-to-date. List of executions since 1976 by name, date, state, method, and race of defendant and victim; State per capita execution rates; Number of executions since 1976 by region and state, and by method; List of recent executions (98-00) with very brief commentary; Size of death row by state and since 1965; State by state info on death row, minimum age, LWOP option, method of execution, clemency process; Info on abolition or last execution in no-DP states.

Before the Needles: Executions in America Before Lethal Injection. (Rob Gallagher)

The following is a detailed State by State listing of 14,490 executions that occurred under civil authority in the United States or within territory that later became the United States. From George Kendal being shot for espionage in Virginia (1608) until Gary Gilmore met his maker for murder in Utah (1977). Executions are also broken down chronologically, by race and gender, by juveniles, by method of execution, by (non-homicide) conviction. Outstanding work developed from The Espy Files.

Death Row USA, Winter 2007.

(As of January 1, 2007) A quarterly report by the Capital Punishment Project of the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund, Inc., hosted by the Death Penalty Information Center. A complete listing of all current death row prisoners in the United States, by name, race, sex, and juveniles; Summaries of racial and gender characteristics of those executed, on death row, and their victims; Summaries of recent U.S. Supreme Court cases.

Bureau of Justice Statistics: Capital Punishment 1993-2006

Yearly publication of the U.S. Department of Justice with detailed statistics and history of the death penalty in the U.S. Demographics (race, age, gender, education, criminal history) on those executed and current death row; Number on U.S. death row since 1953; Number executed since 1930 and since 1977 by state and by year; List of jurisdictions with and without death penalty, with summary of statutes and recent statutory changes; Methods of execution and minimum age by state; Time on death row of those executed. Availability lags approximately one year behind. (PDF, Ascii, or Spreadsheet format)

Bureau of Justice Statistics: Capital Punishment 1989-1997

Yearly publication of the U.S. Department of Justice with detailed statistics and history of the death penalty in the U.S. Archive of older publications maintained by American Society of Criminologists. (Text format)

Bureau of Justice Statistics: Prisoners in 1994-2006

Yearly publication of the U.S. Department of Justice with detailed statistics on the number and demographics of inmates incarcerated in federal, state, and local institutions; probationers and parolees; Changes and trends in incarceration rates. Availability lags approximately one year behind.

Bureau of Justice Statistics: Sourcebook of Criminal Justice Statistics Online (31st Edition 2007)

Supported by the U.S. Department of Justice, the Sourcebook brings together data from more than 100 sources about all aspects of criminal justice in the United States. These data are displayed in over 600 tables. Sourcebook is organized into six topical sections: Characteristics of the criminal justice systems, Public attitudes toward crime and criminal justice-related topics, Nature and distribution of known offenses, Characteristics and distribution of persons arrested, Judicial processing of defendants, and Persons under correctional supervision. Includes archives of Sourcebook since 1994.

The ESPY File. (1608-2002)

Complete list of executed prisoners in the United States from 1608-2002; List of executed prisoners from 1967 to present by name, date, state and method; British executions. (Hosted by Death Penalty Information Center)

"Death Penalty & Prison Issues," from Lene Pantawapirom.

News reports on each execution in the United States from 1998-present; Prison Related Links, Prisoner Homepages.

National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty: Facts and Figures. (NCADP)

List of jurisdictions with or without death penalty; Current death row population by state; Death Row size since 1968.

Focus on the Death Penalty: Statistics. (Univ Alaska Anchorage)

Established by the Justice Center at the University of Alaska Anchorage in the wake of a debate on whether to introduce capital punishment to Alaska. Links to Bureau of Justice Capital Punishment 1992-2003; Executions and death row listings of specific populations, including women and juveniles.

Death Penalty News and Updates. (SMU)

From Rick Halperin and Joan Brett. List of executed prisoners since 1977 by name, date, state, method, and names of victims; Number of executions since 1977 by year and state; Texas executions by county; Upcoming executions scheduled.

Fight the Death Penalty in the USA.

List of U.S. executed prisoners 1996-2004 by name, date, race, state and method, with very brief news summary on each case; Impending executions; Execution Statistics.

Amnesty International: Death Penalty USA Pages - Facts and Figures.

List of U.S. executed prisoners 1998-2008 (up-to-date) by name, date, state and method; Executions by state and by year since 1976; Current authorized methods of execution by state.

State by State Summary of Execution and Death Row Stats. (Capital Punishment U.S.A.)

Tables showing state by state number and method of executions, number on death row, population, homicide rates as of January 1, 2005; State by state summary of death penalty laws; Female executions 1900-2005; Female Hangings 1632-1900.

Executions of Federal Prisoners Since 1927. (Federal Bureau of Prisons)

Complete list of prisoners executed by the federal government 1927-2008; Date, place and method of execution, Offense Committed.

Listing of Crimes Eligible for the Death Penalty, State by State, Crime by Crime, with statutory citations. (Bureau of Justice Statistics 2006)

Publication of the U.S. Department of Justice on the death penalty in the U.S. All executions since 1976 have been for murder or conspiracy to commit murder, although other crimes are eligible for the DP depending on what state you are in.

InfoPlease.Com

Number of Persons Executed by Jurisdiction, 1930-2007; Demographics (race, age, education, marital status, criminal history, length of stay) of prisoners on death row; Women On Death Row (as of 12/31/07); Methods of Execution and minimum age by state; Death Row "Exonerations." (1973-2007).

Court TV Library: Death Penalty

Map of U.S. showing states with and without death penalty; Summaries of statutes in each state and number of executions since 1930 and 1977. (As of April 1, 2000)

The American Society of Criminology Critical Criminology Division.

Methods of Execution by state; Illinois Death Row List 1977-1987 with very brief summary of charge; Bureau of Justice: Capital Punishment 1989-1997.

State Executions by Time Frame.

Chart showing executions state by state in each time frame: 1608-1699; 1700-1799; 1800-1899; 1900-1967; Pre-Furman Total; 1976-2001; Grand Total, from "Before the Needles" by Rob Gallagher.

Stat House: Capital Punishment

Short summary of capital punishment statistics through 1999 (including year by year execution totals from 1930-1999)from Salt of the Earth Magazine.

Female Hangings 1632-1900. (Capital Punishment U.S.A.)

Listing of the women executed in the United states before 1900.

American Female Executions 1900 -2003. (Capital Punishment U.S.A.)

Listing of the 49 women executed in the United states since 1900, by age, race, state, date of execution, and method of execution. (short summaries of most recent cases)

"The Debate Over Capital Punishment Rages On, But Exactly Who Are the Opponents and Proponents? (Copernicus Marketing July 1, 2001)

Demographics on opponents and proponents of the death penalty, including gender, politics, marital status, income, gun owners, stances on other divisive issues.

"Execution No. 700." (CBSNews March 7, 2001)

CBS News report on the 700th execution in the U.S. since reistatement in 1976; Interactive U.S. map with state by state listing of Capital Offenses, Method of Execution, Minimum Age, Executions during 2005, Executions (1977-2005), Prisoners On Death Row:

The Death Penalty Worldwide. (InfoPlease.Com 2007)

Listing of world countries that permit capital punishment, or have outlawed capital punishment and the year it was outlawed, citing information supplied by Amnesty International.

Current Death Row Population and Executions Since 1976. (Pew Forum 2008)

Anti-Death Penalty Facts, Figures, and Misc Info, from a friend of Texas Death Row inmate Christopher Coleman. (2002)

Methods of Execution in the States. (InfoPlease.Com 12/31/04)

Characteristics of Prisoners Under Sentence of Death. (InfoPlease.Com 12/31/04)

Women on Death Row. (InfoPlease.Com 12/31/07)

Number of Persons Executed, by Jurisdiction, 1930-2007. (InfoPlease.Com 12/31/07)

Legal Research / Capital Defense

Methods of Execution

"Lethal Injection on Trial: An Analysis of the Arguments in Baze v. Rees," by David Masci. (Pew Forum December 19, 2007)

News article discussing the issues raised in Baze v. Rees, relating to the administraion of lethal injection in Kentucky, which is scheduled for decison by the U.S. Supreme Court in May/June 2008.

Supreme Court Docket - Baze v. Rees, No. 07-5439.

Summary of issues to be decided by the U.S. Supreme Court in Baze v. Rees. Official opinions of the Supreme Court of Kentucky (2006) and the U.S. Supreme Court Cert. Granted (2007); Docket Sheet From the U.S. Supreme Court; U.S. Supreme Court Briefs filed Petitioner and Respondent. (PDF files)

Clark County Prosecuting Attorney - Methods of Execution

State by state breakdown of execution methods, with statutory citations from each state; Descriptive summary of execution protocol and photos of current approved execution methods: Lethal Injection, Electrocution, Lethal Gas, Hanging, and Firing Squad; Indiana historical methods of execution.

Bureau of Justice Statistics: Capital Punishment 1993-2006

Yearly publication of the U.S. Department of Justice with detailed statistics and history of the death penalty in the U.S. Demographics (race, age, gender, education, criminal history) on those executed and current death row; Number on U.S. death row since 1953; Number executed since 1930 and since 1977 by state and by year; List of jurisdictions with and without death penalty, with summary of statutes and recent statutory changes; Methods of execution and minimum age by state; Time on death row of those executed. Availability lags approximately one year behind.

Death Penalty Information Center

Methods of Execution, state by state; Total number of executions since 1976 by method used; Description of Each Method; Botched Executions; LETHAL INJECTION: National Moratorium on Executions Emerges After Supreme Court Grants Review.

"Lethal Injection on Trial," by Nathan Thornburgh. (Time February 27, 2006)

"Florida prison personnel struggled behind closed doors for 33 min. to properly insert the long tubes into Demps' veins. When the curtains finally opened, as they are meant to so witnesses can observe the final moments, Demps, strapped to a gurney, addressed the group in a trembling voice. "They butchered me back there."

"Methods of Execution," by Tom Head. (About.Com)

Brief overview of each authorized method of execution with photo.

Florida Corrections Commission Report: Methods of Execution & Execution Protocols. (September 1997) (Inactive Link)

State by state comparisons of execution methods, short histories, costs, and detailed protocols. Commission created in the wake of several botched electrocutions in Florida, and a public debate over whether to change to lethal injection.

Methods of Execution. (Capital Punishment - U.K.)

A listing of the approved methods of execution in the United States and worldwide throughout history (electrocution, lethal injection, gas chamber, firing squad, hanging, beheading, burning at stake, guillotine), with a summary on the history and procedures of each, and photos.

"The History of the Guillotine," by Mary Bellis. (About.Com)

Short history of the guillotine and the French Revolution.

Methods of Execution. (Capital Punishment - U.S.A.)

A listing of the approved methods of execution in the United States (electrocution, lethal injection, gas chamber, firing squad, hanging), with a summary on the history and procedures of each, and photos of each.

Methods of Execution. (Matt Robinson Appalachian State University .)

Simple links to Death Penalty Information Center, but with excellent hanging, lynching, beheading, gas chamber, electric chair, firing squad, lethal injection gurney, Tiny Davis, Sadaam photos.

Methods of Execution. (High School Curriculum Michigan State Univ)

A listing of the approved current methods of execution in the United States (electrocution, lethal injection, gas chamber, firing squad, hanging) with a short summary on the history and procedures of each. (with photos)

The Shocking Truth About Death in the Electric Chair.

Thorough and well-referenced anti-chair article from Karl Keys at Capital Defenders Toolbox, detailing the gruesome psysiology of death by electrocution and the rejection of this method of execution on animals and humans by almost all states; Summaries of botched electrocutions and some history of execution methods, state by state; Detailed history of Kentucky Electric Chair.

Electric Current through an Electric Chair.

Entry in The Physics Factbook by April Dunetz, edited 2001 by Glenn Elert.

The Electric Chair. (Capital Punishment USA)

History, Women and the Chair, Modern Electrocutions, When Things Go Wrong, Execution Procedure, State by State Use of Electric Chair.

"Electric Chair Becomes Rarity," by Stephen Gurr. (Augusta Chronicle May 20, 2004)

Short news article on the upcoming electrocution in South Carolina of James Neal Tucker. With Stats showing when each method of execution was used last. (Repposted by AikenOnline.Com)

Glass v. Louisiana, 471 U.S. 1080 (1985) (Brennan Dissent)

A U.S. Supreme Court case denying certiorari, where the death row inmate challenges the method of execution (electric chair) as cruel and unusual. The dissenting opinion of Justice William Brennan details the constitutional history of the method and the gruesome effects on the human body.

"Death and Money: The History of the Electric Chair," by Mary Bellis. (About.Com)

Short history of the electric chair and the Edison / Westinghouse wars.

Electric Chair: History.

Short, but well documented, electric chair history by Ted Frank at the AFU and Urban Legends Newsgroup "alt.folklore.urban,misc.legal" (1993)

Electric Chair: History.

Short article on Thomas Edison and the electric chair by Terry Chan at the AFU and Urban Legends Newsgroup "alt.folklore.urban,misc.legal"

Execution by Electric Chair, from Wikipedia.

Encyclopedia entry reviewing the worldwide practice of execution by electrocution throughout history.

"Tennessee Performs First Electric Chair Execution Since 1960," by Clint Brewer and Jared llen. (Nashville City Paper September 13, 2007)

News article on the execution of Daryl Keith Holton. Holton, 44, became the first person to be executed by electrocution in Tennessee since 1960 and only the fourth person to be executed in the state since that same year. Holton was put to death for slaying his own children.

"Political Suicide: Florida Lawmaker Suggests Crucifixion. (Goofball.Com January 12, 2000)

A fed-up Florida legislator, Rep. Howard Futch, suggested the state crucify death-row inmate Thomas Provenzano, whose delusions of being Jesus Christ have helped delay his execution.

Florida Supreme Court Opinion Upholding Constitutionality of Electric Chair.

Thomas H. Provenzano v. Michael W. Moore. (Opinion #95973) Florida Supreme Court opinion upholding the constitutionality of the Electric Chair following the botched executions of Allen Lee Davis and Pedro Medina. (September 24, 1999)

Photos of Allen Lee "Tiny" Davis in Electric Chair Following 1999 Florida Execution.
Showcased as part of summary of the issues surrounding the use of the electric chair in Florida, by J. J. Maloney, from The Crime Encyclopedia. Following the execution, when the Florida Supreme Court ruled, yet again, that execution by electrocution is not unconstitutional, a dissenting justice attached three photographs of the execution to his dissent, and it became public record.

"Capital Punishment on Trial," by Charles Elmore. (Salon Magazine, September 8, 1999)

Article from reporter who witnessed Florida electric chair execution, concluding that the method is inhumane.

Electric Chair: Florida.

Press release and photo of newly constructed oak electric chair provided by the Florida Dept. of Corrections.

Electric Chair: Florida.

Editorial comment from Salon Magazine (Apr 1997) commenting on an electric chair malfunction in the execution of Pedro Medina and the callousness of the Florida Attorney General's statements thereafter.

"Death Chamber Tapes Aired." (CBS News May 3, 2001)

News report on the airing of audiotapes made of 23 Georgia executions in the electric chair from 1983-98, which are matters of public record.

Electric Chair: Ohio

Short history of Ohio executions by electric chair, with photo of chair. (Channel 5 TVNews 2002)

"How Lethal Injection Works," by Kevin Bonsor.

Detailed description of lethal injection procedures and protocol, from Howstuffworks.com, including Preparation, Witnesses, Inside the Chamber, Administering the Injections, and Who Uses Lethal Injection.

Lethal Injection: What Really Happens.

Texas Death Row inmate site with short description of lethal injection chemicals and effects on the body, with a photo of Texas lethal injection chamber.

Lethal Injection. (Capital Punishment USA)

History and procedure of lethal injection as an execution method in America. List of botched lethal injections.

"Questioning The Myth Of a Painless Execution," by Alberta Phillips. (Austin American-Statesman 12/11/2003)

"The American Veterinary Medical Association several years ago condemned use of pancuronium bromide to euthanize animals, saying it was inhumane. It is used to execute humans."

"Hard to Kill: Why Can’t the U.S. Find a Suitable Execution Method?" by Daniel Guarnera. (January 4, 2007)

"Of course, just what constitutes “cruel and unusual punishments” is a pregnant question. Some legal scholars say that the Constitution allows any punishment considered acceptable when the Constitution was passed. Others argue that if a critical mass of states decides that something is cruel then it should be applied universally. Most controversially, some judges have looked to international standards as a benchmark."

"Attack on Texas Lethal Injections is Bogus," by Sen. Kyle Janek. (Houston Chronicle)

Article from Texas State Senator and Anesthesiologist Kyle Janek: "Having no hope of overturning capital punishment itself at the ballot box or through the court system, a few vocal death penalty opponents, including inmates, have rolled out a new strategy attacking the inclusion of pancuronium bromide as one of the medications used in the lethal injection process." (Reposted by Criminal Justice Legal Foundation)

"Death House Chaplain on the Pain of Executions - Should That Stop the Death Penalty?" by Randy Beamer. (WOAI October 9, 2007)

"Some inmate's lawyers claim the first drug - a sedative - may only immobilize the inmate, so they can be in excruciating pain before they die. They just can't show it. "Hey, that's not true from what I had seen. That doesn't happen," says Houston. "And I've never seen or heard any of the other chaplains or wardens say anything that would indicate they were in any kind of pain, that it's just like going to sleep for surgery."

"Lethal Injection Machine Manual - State of Missouri." (Fred A. Leuchter & Associates 1988)

Lethal Injection System, Operation and Instruction Manual from the Department of Corrections and Human Resources, State of Missouri, with photos. (October 15, 1988)

"Death on the Gurney: An Idea Made in Oklahoma," by Kevin Acers.

Short article on the origins of lethal injection as a means of execution originating in Oklahoma, from the Oklahoma Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty.

"Lethal Injection: A Federal Killing," by Charles Madigan. (Chicago Tribune April 22, 2001)

Questions and answers with Dr. Edward Brunner, on the details of an execution by lethal injection, and the ethics questions of involvement by medical personnel. "It's only a painless death if you're the one watching."

Execution by Lethal Injection, from Wikipedia.

Encyclopedia entry reviewing the worldwide practice of execution by lethal injection throughout history.

"What Do Lawyers Know About Lethal Injection?" by Ty Alper. (2008)

"In the wake of a number of court challenges that have forced states to go back to the drawing board with respect to lethal injection, these execution procedures should not be tinkered with . . . Yet that is exactly what has been happening, and it is an under-reported aspect of the lethal injection debate that deserves a little sunlight. (Harvard Law and Policy Review, Volume 11 (March 3, 2008)

Lethal Injection: North Carolina.

Short history of North Carolina execution methods and summary of lethal injection procedures, with photo of gurney. (North Caolina Department of Correction)

Lethal Injection: California - San Quentin Operational Procedure Number 0-770 Execution by Lethal Injection. (May 15, 2007)

Detailed lethal injection execution procedures and protocol from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

Lethal Injection: State of California Lethal Injection Protocol Review. (May 15, 2007)

This report outlines the steps taken to address any deficiencies in the existing lethal injection protocol and to ensure that it meets constitutional standards. Detailed lethal injection execution procedures and protocol from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

Lethal Injection: California

Virtual Tour and photos of current and proposed lethal injection facility at San Quentin from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

Lethal Injection: New Hampshire - "How to Build an Execution Chamber," by Dan Gorenstein (NHPR March 18, 2008)

Transcript and MP3 audio of New Hampsire Public Radio news report. "The New Hampshire Department of Corrections has a lot of work to do. The federal government is requiring New Hampshire to execute convicted murder Gary Sampson. And Attorney General Kelly Ayotte is seeking the death penalty in the murder cases against Michael Addison and John Brooks. But right now the state doesn’t have a place to put people to death- it doesn’t even have a death row."

"Ohio’s Lethal Injection Execution Procedures Not Fit for a Dog." (Ohio Public Defender December 31, 2003)

Short Press Release from Ohio Public Defenders, noting that even dogs are not euthenized by the same lethal injection drugs given to inmates.

Gas Chamber: California

Photos of California Death Row, the execution chamber and chair for lethal gas from the California Department of Corrections.

Gas Chamber: Mississippi

Design requirements and operational protocol of the execution gas chamber at Mississippi State Penetentiary, by Fred Leuchter, "Expert in Execution Technology." (1989) The Report is designed "for use by all scholars so that they may determine for themselves the impossibility of the existence of the alleged German (Nazi) Gas Chambers." Includes a short history and description of the Mississippi Gas Chamber, with photos.

Fred A. Leuchter

Links to articles about the controversial and self-professed "Expert in Execution Technology," Fred A. Leuchter. From the Nizkor Project, "dedicated to the millions of Holocaust victims who suffered and died." Leuchter gained gained infamy for his conclusions that the chambers in WW II concentration camps could not have been used as execution gas chambers.

Who is Fred A. Leuchter, Jr.

Bio and links from Revisionists.Com.

Execution by Gas Chamber, from Wikipedia.

Encyclopedia entry reviewing the worldwide practice of execution by gas throughout history.

Who makes electric chairs and other equipment for executions? (The Straight Dope October 13, 1995)

Short article outlining the exploits of Fred A. Leuchter Associates who in the 1990's had become Death 'R Us, the U.S.'s only commercial supplier of execution equipment. "A prison guard's son who had become fascinated by the machinery of death, Leuchter would rehab your old electric chair, make you a new one, or if you preferred sell you a lethal injection system ($30,000), gallows ($85,000), or gas chamber ($200,000)."

Gas Chamber: Arizona

Short history of Arizona executions by hanging, gas chamber, and lethal injection, with photo of death chamber. (Arizona Department of Corrections)

Gas Chamber: North Carolina

Summary of gas chamber execution procedures in North Caolina, with photos. (North Caolina Department of Correction)

Gas Chamber. (Capital Punishment USA)

Detailed article on the history and procedures of execution by gas chamber in America.

Firing Squad: Utah

Short comment on Utah firing squads by Ted Frank at the AFU and Urban Legends Newsgroup "alt.folklore.urban,misc.legal" (1994)

Execution by Firing Squad, from Wikipedia.

Encyclopedia entry reviewing the worldwide practice of execution by firing squad throughout history.

"Utah and the Use of Firing Squads." (International Justice Project)

The history, protocol and procedure, statutes and recent news articles on Utah's use of the firing squad as a method of execution.

"Dying the Hard Way? Firing Squads and Hanging Still Legal in Some States," by Matt Bean. (Court TV March 3, 2002)

Article describing the experience of various states that retain the use or alternative use of hanging and firing squads as a method of execution.

"Utah Panel Suggests Barring Firing Squads." (AP October 2, 2003)

News article on the 2003 recommendation of the Utah Sentencing Commision to eliminate firing squads as a method of execution in Utah. (Reposted by DeadManEating Blog)

"The History of Judicial Hanging in Britain 1735 - 1964: Hanged by the Neck Until You are Dead!" (Capital Punishment U.K.)

Excellent discussion on the historical use of execution by hanging worldwide, with detailed description of the gallows, the noose, the hood, and hanging protocol. (photo of noose and board used in Washington state 1994)

"Hanged by the neck until you are dead." (Capital Punishment USA)

Detailed article on the history and procedures of execution by hanging in America.

Hanging: Rope Knots.

Excerpts from The Ashley Book of Knots showing the proper way to use a hangman's knot by Lee Rudolph at the AFU and Urban Legends Newsgroup "alt.folklore.urban". (1994)

Execution by Hanging, from Wikipedia.

Encyclopedia entry reviewing the worldwide practice of execution by hanging throughout history.

"The Hangman's Knot: Lynching, Legal Execution and America's Struggle With the Death Penalty," by Eliza Steelwater.

Reviews, Excerpts, and Author's Bio from 2004 book. "How did the United States come to be the only independent Western democracy still applying the death penalty today? That's the central question that "The Hangman's Knot" addresses."

"The Nooses Knot: History of Capital Punishment by Means of Hanging."

Gallery of gallows photos; Lynchings; Nazi Hangings; State by state list of executions.

"Execution by Hanging - State of Delaware." (Fred A. Leuchter Associates 1990)

Execution by Hanging, Operation and Instruction Manual from the Department of Correction, State of Delaware. (1990)

"Execution by Hanging - State of Delaware." (Fred A. Leuchter Associates 1990)

Execution by Hanging, Operation and Instruction Manual from the Department of Correction, State of Delaware. (1990)

"Billy Bailey - Delaware; Hanged 25th January 1996." (Capital Punishment USA)

Background and summary of the 1996 hanging of Billy Bailey in Delaware, perhaps the last legal hanging in America.

"Hanged by the neck until you are dead." (Capital Punishment USA)

Detailed article on the history and procedures of execution by hanging in America.

"Hanging," From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Online encycyclodepia article on the history and procedures of execution by hanging worldwide, with photos.

"The Last Public Execution in America," a book by Perry T. Ryan. (1992)

Complete text of 26 chapter book written about the execution of Rainey Bethea on August 14, 1936, hanged in Owensboro, Kentucky, before a crowd of 20,000. The public outrage which followed resulted in the complete abolition of public executions in the United States. (with photo)

"Witness to an Execution: A Day in the Life of a Death Row Employee," with slideshow and audio. (National Public Radio 2000)

Slideshows and audio from interviews with the Tie-Down Team at Huntsville, Texas, and Reverend Carol Pickett. Audio from the documentary as it aired on PBS All Things Considered. Audio from the Morning Edition host Bob Edwards as he talks with Warden Willett. Join the moderated discussion.

Interview with Death Row Chaplain Jim Brazzil.

Interview with Texas Death Row Chaplain Jim Brazzll from PBS Frontline.

Interview with former Death Row Chaplain Carroll Pickett.

Interview with Rev. Carroll Pickett, who served 16 years as Texas Death Row Chaplain, from PBS Frontline.

"Confession of an Executioner: An Interview with Don Cabana. (Amnesty International)

Interview with Don Cabana, the former warden at Mississippi's Parchman Prison, and the author of his 1996 memoir, "Death at Midnight: The Confessions of an Executioner."

"Gruesome Execution in 1851 Helped End Death Penalty," by Dennis McCann. (Milwaukee Journal March 24, 1998)

Short history of the death penalty in Wisconsin, detailing the last execution in 1851, where a man convicted of murdering his wife was hanged, but it took nearly 10 minutes for him to die.

Botched Executions

"Some Examples of Post-Furman Botched Executions," by Michael Radelet. (May 24, 2007)

Short summaries of 40 Post-Furman botched executions (27 lethal injection, 9 electric chair, 2 gas chamber) by Michael L. Radelet of the University of Colorado, and updated by the Death Penalty Information Center. (06/09/2000)

The Shocking Truth About Death in the Electric Chair.

Thorough and well-referenced anti-chair article from Karl Keys at Capital Defenders Toolbox, detailing the gruesome psysiology of death by electrocution and the rejection of this method of execution on animals and humans by almost all states; Summaries of scores of botched electrocutions, and some history of execution methods, state by state; Detailed history of the Kentucky Electric Chair.

"Cruel and Unusual? Prison Editors Help Pull the Plug on an Electric Chair." by Wendell Smith. (1991)

Short article by Wendell Smith from the Columbia Journalism Review (Sept 1991), commenting upon botched Louisiana executions and the efforts of the prison magazine, The Angolite, causing a change to lethal injection as the approved method of execution.

Botched Execution Prompts Electric Chair Scrutiny in Florida. (CNN 1997)

CNN Miami news article by Correspondent Susan Candiotti following the fiery execution of Pedro Medina on March 25, 1997 in Florida's electric chair, with some interesting quotes from the victim's family.

"Execution by Lethal Injection – A Quarter Century of State Poisoning." (October 2007)

Amnesty International Report Report which includes section on botched lethal injection executions. (Page 6-10)

Botched Lethal Injections (Capital Punishment U.K.)

List and short summary of botched lethal injections in the United States from 1983-1995, from Capital Punishment - U.K.

"Gruesome Execution in 1851 Helped End Death Penalty," by Dennis McCann. (Milwaukee Journal March 24, 1998)

Short history of the death penalty in Wisconsin, detailing the last execution in 1851, where a man convicted of murdering his wife was hanged, but it took nearly 10 minutes for him to die.

What if a Stay of Execution is Received After Commencement of the Lethal Injection? (1998)

Oregon Attorney General Opinion on the effect of a stay of execution received by the warden after the process of lethal injection has started. (November 6, 1998)

Medical Issues

American Medical Association Code of Ethics E-2.06 Capital Punishment

AMA Ethics Code proscribing medical participation in execution: "An individual's opinion on capital punishment is the personal moral decision of the individual. A physician, as a member of a profession dedicated to preserving life when there is hope of doing so, should not be a participant in a legally authorized execution."

World Medical Association Resolution Against Physician Participation in Capital Punishment. (1981)

Resolution adopted by the 34th World Medical Assembly, Lisbon, Portugal, September 28 - October 2, 1981, and amended by the 52nd WMA General Assembly in Edinburgh, Scotland during October 2000.

Execution by Lethal Injection: Medicine at the Service of State Ordered Killing.

January 1998 article from Amnesty International with an abundance of propaganda and rhetoric.

"Lethal Injection: A Stain on the Face of Medicine," by Jonathan Groner. (July 2002)

"Even without doctors' participation, lethal injectionwith its intravenous lines, electrocardiograph monitors, and anaesthetic drugs has a deeply corrupting influence on medicine as a whole. The Nazis used the imagery of medicine to justify killing, and they corrupted doctors and, ultimately, an entire nation. Capital punishment in the United States now depends solely on the same medical charade. Without the respectability that lethal injection provides, capital punishment in the United States would probably cease."

"Breach of Trust: Physician Participation in Executions in the United States." (March 1994)

Report sponsored by the American College of Physicians, Human Rights Watch, The National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty and the Physicians for Human Rights.

Doctors, The Death Penalty, and Lethal Injection.

A bibliography of medical journal and review articles against physicians role in lethal injection executions from the University of Dundee, Scotland.

"Execution by Lethal Injection – A Quarter Century of State Poisoning." (Amnesty International October 2007)

Amnesty International Report Report which includes section on the medical ethics of lethal injection executions. (Page 25-32)

"Doctors and Executions: A Complex Dilemma of Medicine, Ethics and Law," by Nathan Crabbe. (LethalInjection Blog January 28, 2007)

"The hood is off doctors involved in Florida executions, creating a conflict for a state trying to ensure that lethal injection is medically sound. While states are working to ensure the lethal injection procedure is medically sound — a statewide commission begins its work Monday in Tampa, examining problems with Florida's execution process — the American Medical Association and other medical groups are telling doctors to shun involvement in executions."

"Breach of Trust: Physician Participation in Executions." (Human Rights Watch March 1994)

The ongoing controversy prompted a number of organizations to join together to examine the extent of physician involvement in executions and to provide policy recommendations to medical organizations, state governments and departments of corrections. Four organizations participated in this project: the American College of Physicians (ACP), Physicians for Human Rights (PHR), Human Rights Watch (HRW) and the National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty (NCADP). The conclusions and recommendations were inevitable.

"Death penalty poses ethics quandary for doctors." (American Medical Network)

Short news article on the recent targeting by death penalty abolitionists in the United States of the doctors who help with lethal injections at executions, and the complex ethical questions in the fields of law and medicine.

"Doctors And Executions: A Complex Question Of Medicine, Ethics and Law," by Glen Arnold. (June 29, 2004)

Short commentary on the relatively new debate of the role of doctors in executions. And, much like the issue of the death penalty itself, the legal and ethical questions surrounding the role of doctors in executions are complex and difficult to answer, from Suite101.com.

"Medical Groups Seek End to Death Penalty for Minors," by Tanya Albert. (August 23, 2004)

Their legal brief is one of dozens filed by groups worldwide that call for a U.S. ban on this punishment. "The U.S. Supreme Court is considering the legality of sentencing children younger than 18 to death, and the American Medical Association, American Psychiatric Assn. and other medical societies are asking justices to put an end to the practice." (American Medical News)

"Doctor's Oath Kills Death Penalty in North Carolina," by Max O' Well. (Raleigh News & Observer February 08, 2007)

North Carolina Governor Easley and the Council of State place death penalty on indefinite leave after the North Carolina Medical Board ruled that it doctors cannot participate in executions.

North Carolina Department of Correction v. North Carolina Medical Board: Injunction Granted. (September 21, 2007)

Copy of Wake County Superior Court Order granting permanent injunction prohibiting Medical Board from disciplining doctors who participate in executions.

"Doctors Debate Judge's Stance," by Titan Barksdale. (Charlotte News and Observer October 18, 2007)

Court ruling that medical board overstepped its authority on executions stirs an exchange in the medical community

"Death Penalty Information USA: Barred Doctor Helps in Executions," by Henry Weinstein. (LA Times November 16, 2007)

Amnesty International Blog Report. "Doctor who was barred from taking part in executions in Missouri because of concerns his dyslexia would interfere with his ability to administer lethal injections is helping the federal government carry out death sentences in Indiana, according to court documents."

"Wal-Mart And the Death Penalty," by Dahlia Lithwick. (Washington Post February 26, 2006)

The parallels between California physicians who refused last week to participate in the execution of a convicted killer and the growing numbers of pharmacists around the country who refuse to dispense morning-after pills.

"Doctors See Way to Cut Suffering in Executions ," by Denise Grady. (New York Times June 23, 2006)

"But medical experts say the current method of lethal injection could easily be changed to make suffering less likely. Even the doctor who devised the technique 30 years ago says that if he had it to do over again, he would recommend a different method. Switching to an injection method with less potential to cause pain could undercut many of the lawsuits."

"Doctor's Stand Renews Death Penalty Debate," by Deborah Denno. (Chicago Tribune February 23, 2006)

"The refusal of medical professionals to take part in the scheduled execution of a convicted killer in California this week has reopened the debate over whether lethal injection is a constitutional means of capital punishment--and, inevitably, over capital punishment itself."

"The Lethal Injection Quandary: How Medicine has Dismantled the Death Penalty," by Deborah W. Denno. (2007)

"This Article examines how states ended up with such constitutionally vulnerable lethal injection procedures, suggesting that physician participation in executions, though looked upon with disdain, is more prevalent—and perhaps more necessary—than many would like to believe."

"Participation in Death Penalty: Where Should Line Be Drawn?" (Psychiatric News May 5, 2006)

"After California physicians balk at participating in the death penalty, physicians opposed to such participation urge state medical associations to follow AMA guidelines and bar physicians from any involvement in executions."

"Death Penalty, Medical Ethics Collide in Kentucky," by Brett Barrouquere. (Associated Press November 19, 2004)

"When Governor Ernie Fletcher signed a death warrant for a convicted killer this month, he may have done more than start the clock ticking on an execution. Some say Fletcher, a doctor, may have put his medical license at risk."

"Should The State Pay For Organ Transplants For Death-Row Prisoners?" from Physicians Weekly. (June 1996)

Is it Ethical to Deny Life-Support Treatments to Death Row Inmates? (Bioethics Discussion Pages 1996)

"Death Row Privilege, In Need of a New Kidney," by Bryan Robinson. (Liberty Page May 28, 2002)

Physicians for Human Rights.

Jury Issues

"Bias in a Death-Qualified Panel: A Look at Troubling Statistics," by Jan Mills Spaeth. (July 1995)

Arizona Jury Research article originally published in The Writ, the official publication of the Pima County Bar Association, in July, 1995. "Based on these findings, the courts may want to reconsider their practices on death-qualifying jurors. If sentencing is not an issue in voir dire, and jurors are not queried on their death-penalty attitudes, those opposing the death penalty would not be eliminated, in mass, from the panel. In the opinion of researchers, this would lead to a more balanced, unbiased panel."

Death Qualification, from Capital Punishment in Context.

Short summary of death qualified juries, with a short explanation of the jury selection process capital cases and its affect on verdicts. Brief outline of U.S. Supreme Court cases, including Witherspoon v. Illinois (1968), Wainwright v. Witt (1985), Lockhart v. McCree (1986), Uttecht v. Brown (2007).

"Are You Death Qualified?" by Steve Bergstein. (June 5, 2007)

Short opinion article on the bias of death qualified juries in capital cases. "But a hidden argument against the death penalty is that the process systematically excludes any potential jurors who see the world in shades of gray and who will not reach for the gun at the first sign of trouble."

Death Qualified Juries (National Science Foundation)

"Capital Punishment Decisions Hinge on Jurors Who May Not Understand Their Task" from the National Science Foundation News (January 14, 1997).

"Are You Death Qualified?" by Clay S. Conrad. (Cato Institute August 10, 2000.

"Only those who support capital punishment are permitted to serve. You have doubts that the death penalty is just? You think the death penalty may be over-used? The states do not want your opinion to be heard in the jury room."

"The Principled Executioner: Capital Juries' Bias and the Benefits of True Bifurcation," by Susan Rozelle. (Arizona State Law Journal 2006)

(Abstract only) "Capital jurors are “death-qualified,” or asked to verify at voir dire that their views on the death penalty would not prevent them from serving impartially. Ironically, death qualification itself creates juries unfairly biased toward guilt and death."

Capital Juries, a Bibliography. (American Judicature Society 2007)

A Bibliography of Jury-Related Information, Legal Periodical Articles, since 2000, Indexed by Topic. (December 30, 2007)

"Juries and the Death Penalty: Readdressing the Witherspoon Question," by Craig Haney. (Crime and Delinquency 1980)

Short article adressing the bias of death qualified juries from Craig Haney, Department of Psychology, University of California, Santa Cruz. "The exclusion of characteristics or attitudes linked with opposi tion to the death penalty has meant that capital juries are unrepresentative of the community at large, predisposed to support the prosecution, and predisposed to convict persons brought before the court."

"Arguments for Life and Death," by Jennifer C. Honeyman & James R.P. Ogloff. (Canadian Journal January 1996)

1996 study from the Psychology Department at Simon Fraser University, investigating the effectiveness of arguments in persuading a jury to recommend a death sentence or life imprisonment. (Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science, January 1996)

"In Jury Rooms, Form of Civil Protest Grows," by Joan Biskupic. (Washington Post February 8, 1999)

Article discussing the growing protests by jurors, particularly minority jurors, when not guilty verdicts are returned in spite of the evidence showing guilt - Jury Nullification.

"Jury Nullification." (Iowa State Bar Association)

Iowa State Bar association position paper on the issue of jury nullification legislation. "Nullification instructions place citizens at the mercy of a small group of people who may grant or withhold justice at their whim, in complete disregard of the law."

"Jury Nullification: The Top Secret Constitutional Right," by James Joseph Duane. (1996)

Thorough and scholarly article discussing the right of jury nullification, originally published at 22:4 Litigation 6-60 (1996), by an associate professor at Regent Law School in Virginia Beach, Virginia.

"Nullifying the Jury: The Judicial Oligarchy Declares War on Jury Nullification," by Andrew J. Parmenter. (Washburn Law Journal May 2, 2007)

"Its existence is denied. Its advocates are imprisoned. While the pages of history once shined on jury nullification,3 that book was long ago closed, and today, the judiciary seems poised to burn it."

"The Right To Ignore the Law: Constitutional Entitlement Versus Judicial Interpretation," by Robert D. Rucker. (33 Val. U.L. Rev. 449 1999)

Valparaiso University Law Review from Spring 1999, written by then Indiana Court of Appeals Judge (now Indiana Supreme Court Justice) Robert D. Rucker. "Preserving to the jury the right to determine the law in criminal cases is consistent with the historical function of an ancient institution."

Fully Informed Jury Association Homepage.

Articles, Essays, Links on the rights of juries and the power of jury nullification. (The O.J. Simpson Jury Questionnaires (10/94) and both Trial Transcripts; Example of Court Prepared Jury Answer Book from the Supreme Court of Virginia; Customized Jury Instructions On Line; State and Federal Jury Instructions; Jury Rules for Indiana Courts; Jury Handbooks; Grand Jury Power)

"Nullification: The People's Veto Power." (Fully Informed Jury Association)

Concise jury instruction on jury nullification.

"FIJA: Monkeywrenching the Legal System," by Bob Black.

Lengthy article from the Spunk Library, an online anarchist library and archive.

"A History of Jury Nullification." (International Society for Individual Liberty)

"Jury nullification of law," as it is sometimes called, is a traditional right that was rigorously defended by America's Founding Fathers. The Constitution provides five separate tribunals with veto power - representatives, senate, executive, judges - and finally juries. Each enactment of law must pass all these hurdles before it gains the authority to punish those who may choose to violate it. (International Society for Individual Liberty (ISIL) and the Fully Informed Jury Association.)

Future Dangerousness

"Deadly Speculation; Misleading Texas Capital Juries." (Texas Defender Service 2004)

In depth report of the Texas Defender Service: DEADLY SPECULATION - Misleading Texas Capital Juries with False Predictions of Future Dangerousness. "We reviewed 155 cases in which prosecutors used experts to predict a defendant’s future dangerousness. These experts were wrong 95% of the time." (Texas Defender Service (TDS) is a nonprofit organization established in 1995 by experienced Texas death penalty attorneys)

"Arguing Future Dangerousness; New Techniques for Assessing the Risk of Violence," by Trowbridge and Williams. (2000)

"It should not escape notice that these actuarial prediction techniques are yet another example where the technology precedes its explanation. We know the VRAG works but we don’t know exactly why--not unlike aspirin (until quite recently). There is no theory that convincingly explains the causes of criminal behavior. Until we have such an explanatory theory, we should not become complaisant about the prediction of recidivism." By Brett C. Trowbridge and Charles H. Williams. Originally published in Washington Criminal Defense, February 2000, Vol 14, No. 1.

"Texas Psychologist Speaks Out About His Testimony on Race and Crime," by Raju Chebium. (CNN June 9, 2000)

News article on the furor created by the explanations given by clinical psychologist Walter Quijano of factors considered, including race, in testifying as to future dangerousness for the prosecution in several death penalty trials in Texas.

"How Dangerousness is Predicted." (Court TV Crime Library)

Three chapters from CRIMINAL MIND/CRIMINAL PROFILING: 3. How Dangerousness is Predicted; 4. Problems With Prediction; 5. Predicting Accuracy.

"A Dangerous Preoccupation with Future Danger: Why Expert Predictions are Unconstitutional," by Eugenia T. La Fontaine. (Boston College Law Review 2002)

Boston College Law Review article, Vol. 44, No. 1, pages 207-244. "The Court should follow this path toward the finding that psychiatric predictions of future dangerousness in capital cases are a violation of the Eighth Amendment because they are unreliable and inaccurate and lead to arbitrary and capricious results."

"Genetic Predictions of Future Dangerousness: Is There a Blueprint for Violence?" by Erica Beecher-Monas and Edgar Garcia-Ril.

Duke Law Review article, Winter/Spring 2006. "Since at least the late nineteenth century, courts and prisons have reflected attempts to discriminate between the innately criminal and those who acted merely by force of circumstance, whose crimes would not pose a future danger to society."

"The Question of Future Dangerousness of Capital Defendants," by A.P. Merillat. (Texas Bar Journal September 2006)

Article written by law enforcement professional who testifies as an expert in Texas Capital cases on the future dangerousness of the murderer. "The point is this: Prison inmates have abundant opportunities to commit criminal acts, including acts of violence."

Life Without Parole

Listing of States With/Without Life Without Parole Option in Capital Cases. (DPIC)

"To More Inmates, Life Term Means Dying Behind Bars," by Adam Liptak. (New York Times October 2, 2005)

"Refereeing the Death Penalty: LWOP is Not Worse than Death," by Barry Farber. (NewsMax.Com June 27, 2000)

"Once a Murderer . . ." (ProDeathPenalty.Com 2004)

"Life Without Parole" (ProDeathPenalty.Com 2006)

"America's Child Killers: Life Without Hope," by Ed Pilkington. (The Guardian August 4, 2007)

National Coalition to Ban Life Without Parole for Youth Offenders (National Center for Youth Law)

"The Truth About Life Without Parole." (ACLU of Northern California Resouce Paper)

Life Without Parole is Not Good Enough to Insure Public Safety. (Wesley Lowe)

"The Rest of Their Lives: Life without Parole for Child Offenders in the United States." (Human Rights Watch)

"Sniper Malvo Sentenced to Life without Parole." (CNN News Center May 5, 2004)

"To More Inmates, Life Term Means Dying Behind Bars," by Adam Liptak. (New York Times Audiofile October 2, 2005)

"Set in Steel: Prison Life Without Parole," by Maya Schenwar. (Truthout November 28, 2007)

California Life Without Parole Act: Accountability with the Chance to Turn Around (April 2007)

"Is Life Without Parole the Same as Death?" (Public Defender Dude Blog July 13, 2005)

Inmate Deaths: Murder in Prison (Three Strikes Legal)

"Death of a Mudman," by Paul Davis. (Orchard Press Mystery Magazine 2002)

"The Death Penalty Is Showing New Life - Robert (Mudman) Simon," by David Kocieniewski. (NYTimes June 10, 2001)

"Death Row Inmate Beats Another to Death in New Jersey Prison," by David Kocieniewski. (NYTimes September 8, 1999)

"Guard Details Security Problems at Parchman," by Kandiss Crone. (WLBT3-TV January 29, 2007)

"Mudman Murdered on NJ Death Row." (Times News Online 09-08-99)

N.C. Death Row Inmate, Tommy Noell: Sentence Commuted, Paroled, and Kills Again. (WRAL, November 7, 1998) (Inactive Link)

Texas Death Row Inmate Stabbed 54 Times. (Amarillo Globe-News, November 5, 1998)

"Dead Run," by Joe Jackson and William E. Burke, Jr., a book on America's only mass escape from Death Row.

"Murders That Could Have Been Averted By Capital Punishment." (The New American August 30, 1990)

Garner v. Jones (March 28, 2000) Serving Life, Escaped, Murdered Again, Sentenced to Second Life.

"Correctional Officer's Killer Gets Life Without Parole," by David Disheau. (Associated Press January 28, 2008)

"Texas Death Row Escape: A Natural Response to Racism & Brutality," by Gloria Rubac. (1998)

"Texas Death Row Escape: "Nabbed Killer Back in Texas; Death Row Inmate Extradited from Louisiana. (CNN Law Center November 8, 2005)

"Inmate Faces Death Penalty Following Conviction for Killing Guard," by David Dishneau. (WTOP News January 18, 2008)

DNA

Hot Topics: DNA. (New York State Defenders)

Scores of links to news articles, reports, and resources.

President's DNA Initiative: Advancing Justice Through DNA Technology.

The President's DNA Initiative provides funding, training, and assistance to ensure that forensic DNA reaches its full potential to solve crimes, protect the innocent, and identify missing persons. Online DNA training; Tools for forensic scientists; State by State forensic DNA information; State and Federal statutes and case law; Resources for legislators, Judges, lawyers, police, and lab personnel.

"Reference Guide on DNA Evidence," by David H. Kaye and George F. Sensabaugh. (Federal Judicial Center 2000)

The second edition of Reference Manual on Scientific Evidence (Page 485-576), distributed to all federal Judges. Thorough DNA treatise, with legal annotations and detailed scientific explanations.

The Case for Innocence. (PBS Frontline January 11, 2000)

Why do inmates remain in prison despite DNA evidence which exonerates them with near certainty? Documentary focusing on the DNA revolution in technology and spotlighting four cases of death row inmates: Earl Washington (Virginia), Clyde Charles (Louisiana), Roy Criner (Texas), and Roger O'Dell (Virginia), all asserting innocence. Originally aired on January 11, 2000 on PBS.

"Post-Conviction DNA Testing: When is Justice Served?" (United States Senate June 13, 2000)

Summary of proceedings before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee considering bills by Chairman Orin Hatch of Utah and Ranking Minority member Patrick Leahy of Vermont. Also includes full written statements of all witnesses appearing before the Committee.

National Commission on the Future of DNA Evidence. (United States Attorney General)

The Attorney General directed the National Institute of Justice to establish and administer a commission with the purpose of providing the Attorney General with recommendations on the use of current and future DNA methods, applications and technologies in the operation of the criminal justice system, from the crime scene to the courtroom, in order to maximize the value of forensic DNA Evidence in the criminal justice system.

"Convicted by Juries, Exonerated by Science." (National Institute of Justice June 1996)

Case Studies in the Use of DNA Evidence to Establish Innocence - by Edward Connors, Thomas Lundregan, Neal Miller, Tom McEwen, staff members of the Institute for Law and Justice, Alexandria, Virginia.

"Report to the Attorney General on Delays in Forensic DNA Analysis." (National Institute of Justice March 2003)

Case Studies in the Use of DNA Evidence to Establish Innocence - by Edward Connors, Thomas Lundregan, Neal Miller, Tom McEwen, staff members of the Institute for Law and Justice, Alexandria, Virginia.

"For 110 Inmates Freed by DNA Tests, True Freedom Remains Elusive." (AP DPIC May 28, 2002)

AP article on the difficulties after DNA "exoneration" and release from prison of 100 inmates, 11 of which served time on death row.

"DNA Frees Death-Row Inmates, Brings Others to Justice," by Brian Handwerk. (ational Geograhic Channel April 8, 2005)

"Post-conviction DNA testing on the mask the perpetrator left at the scene both exonerated Matthews and revealed the identity of the actual perpetrator," Kashickey said from New York City. The Washington, D.C.-based Death Penalty Information Center (DPIC) reports that 13 other death-row inmates have also been exonerated with the help of DNA evidence."

The Innocence Project - Facts on Post-Conviction DNA Exonerations - Fix the System: Access to DNA Testing.

"As of July 1, 2007, 42 states have some form of law permitting inmates access to DNA testing. The other eight states have no law granting such access. Click here to learn if your state allows access to testing."

"Policy Position on DNA Technology and the Criminal Justice System." (National District Attorneys Association July 20, 2003)

The National District Attorneys Association, representing America’s local district attorneys, promotes a truth-based justice system. The NDAA recognizes DNA testing as a powerful tool for determining the truth in criminal cases. This technology has emerged as the most reliable forensic technique for identifying criminals when biological evidence of the crime is available. The NDAA strongly supports DNA testing as a means of identifying and apprehending criminals and proving the guilt or innocence of suspects and defendants. The NDAA encourages public investment in this technology to ensure its full development as an instrument of justice.

"Death Penalty Kills the Innocent." (Dangerous and Loud Blog: Getting Radical With Dana Cloud July 27, 2007)

"The first DNA exoneration took place in 1989. Exonerations have been won in 31 states; since 2000, there have been 142 exonerations. 15 of the 205 people exonerated through DNA served time on death row." (From The Innocence Project)

"Advancing Justice Through DNA Technology Act of 2003."

Speech of Senator Kyl upon the introduction of the "Advancing Justice Through DNA Technology Act of 2003" in the United States Senate. (Posted by Criminal Justice Legal Foundation)

"The Unkillable Death Penalty: DNA Tests Won't Stop Capital Punishment," by David Greenberg. (Slate.Com June 2, 2000)

"The problem with this scenario of the collapse of capital punishment in the face of science is that it's just as easy to envision the opposite. If it ever becomes possible to decide conclusively who is innocent and who is guilty, executing the innocent will no longer be a hazard."

Vermont Senator Patrick Leahy Statement on Post-Conviction DNA Testing. (2001)

Statement of Vermont Senator Patrick Leahy to the Senate Judiciary Committee on Post-Conviction DNA Testing. (June 13, 2001)

Utah Senator Orrin Hatch Statement on Post-Conviction DNA Testing. (2001)

Statement of Utah Senator Orrin Hatch to the Senate Judiciary Committee on Post-Conviction DNA Testing. (June 13, 2001)

DNA Testing and the Death Penalty (ACLU June 26, 2002)

"In the U.S., as of June 2002, 108 people including 12 death row inmates, have been exonerated by use of DNA tests. The increasing use of DNA testing to help confirm the innocence or guilt in capital cases is one among many reforms that will help ensure that innocent people are not sentenced to death."

"DNA Tests Confirm Guilt of Executed Man, Roger Coleman," by Maria Glod and Michael D. Shear. (Washington Post January 13, 2006)

"The Roger Coleman Case: Did Virginia Execute an Innocent Man?" from InsideOut.

"Must This Man (Roger Coleman) Die?" by Jill Smolowe. (Time May. 18, 1992)

"Press Release on Roger Coleman from James C. McCloskey, Executive Director of Centurion Ministries. (January 13, 2006)

"DNA testing mistakes at the Washington State Patrol Crime Labs." (Seattle Post July 22, 2004)

"Understanding DNA Evidence: A Guide for Victim Service Providers," by Kathryn M.Turman. (Office of Victims of Crime 2001)

"Death Penalty: DNA Tests Prove Justice Has Failed," by Alberto Cremonesi. (IPSNews September 21, 2006)

"DNA Saves Virginia Man (Earl Washington) From Execution," Sonja Barisic. (CBSNews February 12, 2001)

"DNA Saves Virginia Man (Earl Washington) From Execution," Sonja Barisic. (CBSNews February 12, 2001)

"DNA Test Fails to Clear Reprieved Death Row Inmate Ricky McGinn." (CourtTV/AP July 12, 2000)

"To Set Murder Case Right, Find Out Why it Went Wrong, by Eric Zorn." (Chicago Tribune / ABOLISH Archives June 9, 1996)

"DNA frees Arizona inmate after time on death row," by Dennis Wagner Beth DeFalco, and Patricia Biggs. (Arizona Republic April 09, 2002)

Wrongful Convictions - Innocence Issues

Some Twentieth Century Erroneous Executions.

List and summary of cases of supposed wrongful executions, from Michael L. Radelet, Hugo Adam Bedau, and Constance Putnam, "In Spite of Innocence: Erroneous Convictions in Capital Cases." Boston: Northeastern University Press, 1992, Bedau and Radelet, "Miscarriages of Justice in Potentially Capital Cases." Stanford Law Review 40 (1987):21-179. (text file)

Justice For All: A Response to the Bedau and Radelet Study.

Justice For All article "Death Penalty and Sentencing Information: The Risk of Executing the Innocent." A thoughtful response to the Bedau and Radelet Study.

"The Guilty and the Innocent," by Paul G. Cassell. (Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy Spring 1999)

An examination of alleged cases of wrongful conviction from false confessions, from Paul G. Cassell, a University of Utah law professor, emerging as one of the few spokesmen to challenge the anti-death penalty movement.

Statement of Paul G. Cassell on Claims of Innocence in Capital Cases. (House of Representatives July 23, 1993)

Full statement of Paul G. Cassell, Associate Law Professor at the University of Utah, given to the Committee on the Judiciary, United States House of Representatives, Subcommittee on Civil and Constitutional Rights, concerning claims of innocence in capital cases. ". . . the risk to innocent life from failing to carry out capital sentences imposed under contemporary safeguards far outweighs the speculative and remote risk that an execution might be in error.

The Innocence Project.

The Innocence Project at the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law at Yeshiva University, founded by Barry C. Scheck and Peter J. Neufeld in 1992, is a non-profit legal clinic and criminal justice resource center. We work to exonerate the wrongfully convicted through postconviction DNA testing; and develop and implement reforms to prevent wrongful convictions.

Illinois Governor's Commission on Capital Punishment: Report to Governor Ryan. (April 12, 2002)

Long-awaited report from the Illinois Commission on Capital Punishment, established by Governor George Ryan shortly after he instituted a moratorium on executions in the state of Illinois in 2000, following the highly publicized "exonerations" of 13 death row inmates since 1976. The report concludes with several controversial recommendations, all restricting the ability of prosecutors to seek a death sentence and the judge and jury's power to deliver one.

Witness to Innocence: From Death Row to Freedom.

"Witness to Innocence is spearheaded by former death row prisoners who have been exonerated and released from death rows across the United States and who are now actively engaged in the struggle to end the death penalty. These courageous witnesses bring a human face to the death penalty." Witness to Innocence is a project of The Moratorium Campaign and a part of the Death Penalty Discourse Network.

"Talking Points on the 100th Innocent Released," from Moratorium Now! (2002)

Media talking points and sample letters to the editor following the release of Ray Krone from Arizona Death Row in 2002.

"The Execution of the Innocent," by Michael L. Radelet and Hugo Adam Bedau. (61 Law & Contemporary Problems 105 Autumn 1998)

"First, we explore the conceptualization of the term "innocence. Second, we review the kinds of evidence we have relied on previously to support our conclusion that some defendants sentenced to death and executed were actually innocent. Finally, we consider how government officials and the general public are currently reacting to the issue of possible executions of the innocent and what role this issue plays in contemporary death penalty debates."

The Risk of Wrongful Execution of the Innocent. (Wesley Lowe)

Excerpt from Pro-Death Penalty article, addressing the risk of executing the innocent.

"Southern Newspaper Coverage of Exonerations from Death Row," by David Niven. (Journal of Criminal Justice 2004)

"Exonerated inmates receive less coverage than those who are executed, and coverage is apt to portray the exoneration as the result of an isolated mistake and not indicative of systematic failure, and (c) coverage emphasizes the experiences of former inmates after being released, not during their incarceration. Cumulatively, this pattern serves to minimize the seriousness."

North Carolina Actual Innocence Commission: Recommendations for Eyewitness Identification.

Report of a working study commission of the North Carolina Supreme Court, whose primary objective is "to make recommendations which reduce or eliminate the possibility of the wrongful conviction of an innocent person." (February 2003)

The Case for Innocence. (PBS Frontline January 11, 2000)

Why do inmates remain in prison despite DNA evidence which exonerates them with near certainty? Documentary focusing on the DNA revolution in technology and spotlighting four cases of death row inmates: Earl Washington (Virginia), Clyde Charles (Louisiana), Roy Criner (Texas), and Roger O'Dell (Virginia), all asserting innocence. Originally aired on January 11, 2000 on PBS.

"Can You Build a Foolproof Death Penalty?" by Seth Stern. (Christian Science Monitor November 5, 2003)

While other states rethink capital punishment, Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney asks panel to explore its reinstatement.

"Massachusetts Governor Romney Takes Scientific Approach to Death Penalty." (Press Release September 23, 2003)

Press Release from the office of Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney: "Relying on the tremendous advances in the area of forensic science, the Governor today announced a panel of scientific and legal experts to craft a proposal to reinstate capital punishment in Massachusetts for a narrow set of crimes."

"Exonerations in the United States, 1989-2004." (University of Michigan April 19, 2004)

The report focuses on 328 cases—all almost exclusively murder and rape crimes—since 1989, the year of the first DNA exoneration. But the count is conservative, the report stresses. (Funded by U.S. Justice Fund, Soros Foundations, Open Society Institute.)

The Life After Exoneration Program!

The Life After Exoneration Program's mission is to address the injustice of wrongful conviction and incarceration by assisting exonerees and their family members in re-building their lives on the outside, by working to secure their physical, spiritual, psychological, social and economic well being.

"The Causes of Wrongful Conviction," by Paul Craig Roberts. (The Independent Review, Spring 2003)

"The execution of an innocent person cannot be remedied. This fact, together with mounting evidence of innocents on death row, has strengthened opposition to the death penalty. Nevertheless, the death penalty has proved to be a divisive issue. The divide between liberals and conservatives on the death penalty could be bridged by changing the emphasis in the issue to wrongful conviction."

"Florida Commission on Capital Cases: Case Histories, a Review of 24 Individuals Released from Death Row." (September 10, 2002)

"In response to the increased scrutiny of Florida’s capital cases; specifically, a recent study claiming that Florida has the highest rate of death row releases, the commission has researched in-depth the 24 cited cases where individuals have been released from death row. Of these 24 inmates, none were found “innocent,” even when acquitted, because no such verdict exists. A defendant is found guilty or not guilty, never innocent. The guilt of only four defendants, however, was subsequently doubted by the prosecuting office or the Governor and Cabinet."

"The Death Penalty Debate in Illinois," by John J. Kinsella. (DuPage County Bar Association Brief June 2000)

Thorough description of the recent Death Penalty Debate in Illinois, with a pro-death penalty slant, including a discussion of the Chicago Tribune, the so-called 13 "exonerations," Rolando Cruz and the prosecution of the prosecutors, from John J. Kinsella, First Assistant State’s Attorney for DuPage County.

"Illinois Prosecutors and Police Acquitted Despite Evidence They Framed Defendant," by Alden Long. (16 June 1999)

"A DuPage County, Illinois prosecutor and four sheriff's officers were acquitted by a county judge and jury June 4 of charges that they conspired to frame up and convict Rolando Cruz for murder, rape and kidnapping."

"The Death Penalty's Cloudy Future," by Andrew Cohen. (CBSNews.Com April 26, 2002)

On the eve of a major U.S. Supreme Court decision in Ring, just one week after a landmark commission in Illinois released its ominous findings on how the penalty is meted out, a federal judge in New York threatened to declare the federal death penalty unconstitutional in general. There is no getting around the fact that skepticism about the accuracy of death verdicts is growing within the law. "I don't know whether or to what extent the death penalty in America is in trouble, but I know that this is how constitutional change occurs in this country. The facts push the law."

"Executing the Innocent," by Elizabeth A. Linehan, St. Joseph's University (1998).

Address to the 20th World Congress of Philosophy in Boston, August 1998. Any criminal justice system carries the risk of punishing innocent persons, but the punishment of death is unique and requires greater precautions. The risk of executing innocent persons is a decisive objection to the institution of capital punishment in the United States. Consequentialist arguments for the death penalty are inconclusive at best; the strongest justification is a retributive one. However, this argument is seriously undercut if a significant risk of executing the innocent exists.

Death Penalty Information Center: Innocence and the Death Penalty.

Two lengthy reports which include short summaries of cases: "Innocence and the Death Penalty: The Increasing Danger of Executing the Innocent" (1997), and "Innocence and the Death Penalty: Assessing the Danger of Mistaken Executions" (1993); List of 127 defendants exonerees released from death row in the opinion of DPIC; List of eight executed despite doubts about guilt.

A Critique of the Death Penalty Information Center "Innocence List." (ProDeathPenalty.Com 2000)

The Death Penalty Information Center (DPIC) Innocence List (“Innocence: Freed from Death Row”) is frequently cited as support for the claim that 102 innocent prisoners have been released from Death Rows across the nation. This list is uncritically accepted as definitive. However, an examination of the premises and sources of the List raises serious questions about whether many of the allegedly innocent prisoners named on the List are actually innocent at all. By Ward A. Campbell. Supervising Deputy Attorney General, State of California.

"The Death Penalty - Innocence Issues," by Dudley Sharp. (July 2002)

Thorough article addressing the concerns of wrongful convictions and execution of the innocent: I. Innocents Released from Death Row: A Critical Review of the Claims; What is the real number?; II. The Risk to Innocents if We Don't Execute; III. Due Process and The Risk to Innocents (Protecting innocent defendants / inmates sacrificing the innocent); IV. OK to Execute the Innocent?; V. Future innocence considerations; VI. The Innocent Executed; VII. Conclusion. From Dudley Sharp, Justice For All, Director of Death Penalty Resources.

"Innocence and the Death Penalty." by Dudley Sharp. (ProDeathPenalty.Com April 16, 2000)

Short article distinguishing between the factually innocent and the legally innocent, from Dudley Sharp, Justice For All, Director of Death Penalty Resources.

"Researchers Challenge List Of Death Penalty Innocents," by Jeff Johnson. (CNSNews.com January 08, 2003)

Short article discussing congressional testimony from California Supervising Deputy Attorney General Ward Campbell, and Dudley Sharp, Justice For All, Director of Death Penalty Resources, giving their opinion of the so-called "innocent list" of DPIC.

"The Last Guys Proved Innocent," by Ann Coulter. (Jewish World Review June 27, 2000)

Short commentary on the 1980's fraud perpetrated by the anti-death penalty forces through the Bedau and Radelet study of innocents executed, with the willing assistance of the media, and the response by Markman and Cassell.

"Wrongful Conviction and Innocence Resources on the Internet," by Ken Strutin. (June 10, 2006)

Scores of links on Current Awareness; Case Profiles; Conferences and Trainers; Innocence Projects; Commission Reports; Organizations; Innocence Project Resources; Legislation; Bibliographies, from Ken Strutin (JD, MLS), an experienced law librarian, criminal defense attorney, and well-known writer and speaker.

Northwestern University School of Law Center on Wrongful Convictions.

"The Center’s mission is to identify and rectify wrongful convictions and other serious miscarriages of justice, a mission that has three components: representation, research, and public education. Center faculty, staff, cooperating outside attorneys, and law students investigate possible wrongful convictions and represent imprisoned clients with claims of actual innocence."

The Faces of Wrongful Conviction Project .

"More than 200 men and women have been wrongfully convicted in California since 1990. Some of these men and women were sentenced to death; all lost years of their lives, imprisoned for crimes they did not commit. The aim of this project is to bring you their stories and to advocate for reforms that will eliminate wrongful convictions."

"Are Innocent People Being Executed In The U.S.?" (National Center for Policy Analysis)

Abstract of article by Eugene H. Methvin, "Death Penalty Is Fairer Than Ever," Wall Street Journal, May 10, 2000.

Highlights of The National Conference on Wrongful Convictions. (Northwestern University November 13 - 15, 1998)

Highlights of a Conference held at the Northwestern University Law Center in Chicago, including assembling 30 innocent death row survivors, and media accounts of the Conference; Tips for the wrongly convicted; A portrait of the survivors; Signs of innocence.

"From Blackstone to Bentham: Why Wrongful Conviction Is On The Rise," by Paul Craig Roberts. (LewRockwell.Com 2001)

"Conservatives need to understand that the problem of corrupt justice goes deeper than law enforcement personnel and cannot be corrected by cleaning out the Clinton DOJ. The very concept of law that protects us from tyranny has been lost. No longer the people's shield, law has become a weapon in the hands of government. Justice is no longer a concern of the justice system."

"Wrongful Conviction: 50% of Mistaken Eyewitnesses Certain After Positive Feedback." (PsyBlog 1999)

"Faulty eyewitness testimony is one of the leading causes of wrongful convictions in the US. On the basis of mounting evidence, psychologists have argued that a major contributing factor to these wrongful convictions is one of the seven sins of memory: suggestibility (Schacter, 1999). Dramatic evidence for how easily eyewitnesses are swayed comes from a study carried out by Gary Wells and Amy Bradfield at Iowa State University

"Life After Death Row," by Sara Rimer. (NYTimes Magazine December 10, 2000)

Summaries of the cases and life after exoneration of Rolando Cruz (Illinois), Kirk Bloodsworth (Maryland), Earl Washington (Virginia), James Richardson (Florida), Ronald Williamson (Oklahoma), and Walter McMillian (Alabama).

Mandatory Justice: Eighteen Reforms to the Death Penalty. (The Constitution Project June 27, 2001)
Mandatory Justice: The Death Penalty Revisited. (The Constitution Project February 2006)

A distinguished panel, but with a clear anti-death penalty slant, make up The Constitution Project, Death Penalty Initiative. (Includes well-known anti-death penalty activists former New York Governor Mario Cuomo, former Florida Chief Justice Gerald Kogan, and former Baltimore Mayor Kurt Schmoke. Their report was presented to the United States Senate, Committee on the Judiciary on June 27, 2001 at hearings on "Protecting the Innocent: Ensuring Competent Counsel in Death Penalty Cases." Their recommendations include: adequate compensation, standards and training for defense counsel; the removal of certain classes of defendants and homicides from death penalty eligibility; greater flexibility for introducing evidence that casts doubt on a conviction or sentence; gathering of data on the role of race in capital punishment and involvement of all races in the decision-making process; elimination of a judge's ability to impose a death sentence despite a jury recommendation for life imprisonment; and requiring prosecutors to open their files to the defense in death penalty cases.

"The Quality of Justice in Capital Cases: Illinois as a Case Study," by Leigh B. Bienen.

(61 Law & Contemp. Probs. 193 Autumn 1998) Thoroughly referenced law review article, though highly moralistic, highlighting the problems in the Illinois Capital Punishment system, zeroing in on corrupt Judges and Prosecutors, and wrongful convictions.

"More Innocents Die When We Don't Have Capital Punishment," by Dennis Prager. (Townhall.Com June 17, 2003)

Opinion column from talk show host Dennis Prager: "A couple of weeks ago, three New Hampshire prisoners, one a convicted murderer, escaped from prison. What if the murderer had murdered again? On whose hands would the victim's blood have been?"

"We're Not Executing the Innocent," by Paul G. Cassell. (Wall Street Journal, June 16, 2000 Editorial)

Wall Street Journal Editorial from University of Utah law professor Paul G. Cassell: "The Bureau of Justice Statistics has found that of 52,000 inmates serving time for homicide, more than 800 had previously been convicted of murder. That sounds like a system collapsing under the weight of its own mistakes -- and innocent people dying as a result."

The Innocence Network: Brief Bank.

PDF files of amicus briefs either filed by the Innocence Network, or by individual Network project members. Issues include: Access to Post-Conviction DNA Testing, New Evidence of Innocence, Actual Innocence, Electronic Recording of Custodial Interrogations, Eyewitness Identification, Ineffective Assistance of Counsel, Unreliable Forensic Science, Police and Prosecutorial Misconduct. "The Innocence Network is an affiliation of organizations dedicated to providing pro bono legal and investigative services to individuals seeking to prove innocence of crimes for which they have been convicted."

"The Ordeal of Larry Hicks: How an Innocent Man was Almost Executed," by Niles Stanton.

The story of Larry Hicks, sentenced to Indiana death row in September 1978, and days away from execution in 1979. Written by Niles Stanton, the attorney who successfully got Hicks' death sentence vacated, and represented him during a retrial of the murder charges in November 1980, which resulted in an acquittal.

"The Cantu Case: Death and Doubt - Did Texas execute an innocent man?" by Lise Olsen. (Houston Chronicle July 24, 2006)

Texas executed its fifth teenage offender at 22 minutes after midnight on Aug. 24, 1993, after his last request for bubble gum had been refused and his final claim of innocence had been forever silenced. Did Texas execute an innocent man? - Eyewitness says he felt influenced by police to ID the teen as as the killer; Wounded officer key to sentence - Attempts to discredit star witness failed at trial; Vow of silence blamed for ultimate penalty - Executed man's co-defendant says years of guilty have led him to try to clear his friend's name; Brother speaks up - Man says if he'd been asked to testify, he might have saved Cantu. Audio - Officer's telephone calls, Taped conversations between a homicide investigator and two officials in the Bexar County DA's office about the Cantu investigation; Documents - David Garza affidavit — David Garza, the convicted accomplice to the robbery-murder that led to Ruben Cantu’s execution in 1993, now claims Cantu wasn't there the night of the crime. Read his 2005 sworn statement. (PDF)

"Not So Innocent - The Death Penalty: An Argument Continued," by Ramesh Ponnuru. (National Review October 1, 2002)

"Besides, there is a more important reason to reject the over-100 claim: It's not true. DPIC counts people as "innocent" when they were released from death row for reasons wholly unrelated to any belief that they did not commit the crime charged."

"Did This Man Die For . . ," by Steve Mills and Maurice Possley. (Chicago Tribune June 2006)

The Chicago Tribune, trying desperately for years to come up with an executed prisoner who was innocent, tries Carol DeLuna, executed in Texas in 1989. "Carlos DeLuna went to Texas Death Row proclaiming his innocence. Another bragged he was the real killer. In 1989, Texas may have executed an innocent man."

Wrongfully Convicted: Learning From the Mistakes that Send Innocent People to Prison. (Dr. Higgins 2003)

Website of Psychiatrist Edmund S. Higgins. Database of 360 wrongful convictions (death penalty and others) with short case summaries.

"Illinois Wrongful Capital Murder Convictions - 13 Case Profiles," from Critical Criminology.

Capital Punishment: Interview with Randall Dale Adams, aired on WETS-FM with Host Hugh LaFollette. (Audio 29:00)

Louisiana: Resurrection After Exoneration.

"Anatomy of a Miscarriage of Justice: The Wrongful Conviction of Peter J. Rose," by Susan Rutberg. (2006)

"Forensic Science, Wrongful Convictions, and American Prosecutor Discretion," by Dennis J. Stevens. (Howard Journal 2008)

"Executing the Innocent," by Elizabeth A. Linehan, St. Joseph's University. (The Paideia Project Online December 9, 1998)

"Does Wrongful Conviction Lower Deterrence?" by Henrik Lando. (American Law & Economics Association 2005)

The North Carolina Center on Actual Innocence.

Vermont Senator Patrick Leahy Press Release on the Innocence Protection Act of 2001.

Innocence Protection Act of 2001: Minority Report of Judiciary Committee. (CJLF)

"After Falsely Serving 19 years in Texas, Danny Brown is Home," by Dale Emch. (The Blade April 10, 2001)

"Some Death Row Inmates Exonerated." (Christian Party Associated Press)

Illinois' 13 Exonerated Death Row Prisoners Since 1977. (Chicago Tribune)

93 Wrongful Convictions in Illinois With Case Summaries. (Center for Wrongful Convictions)

Wrongful Murder Convictions - Illinois & U.S. (Critical Criminology)

"Death Penalty Dilemma: Executing the Innocent?" by Charles Bierbauer. (CNN.Com February 24, 2000)

Probably Innocent, Almost Executed by Stuart Taylor. (Legal Times 01-01-96)

Justice Denied: The Magazine for the Wrongly Convicted.

"The Death Penalty: Wrongful Convictions," by Lester S. Garrett (Liberty Magazine March 1996)

Fatal Flaws: Innocence and the Death Penalty. (Amnesty International, 1998)

"The Case Against the Death Penalty: The Inevitability of Error," by Hugo Adam Bedau. (July 1992)

"Win at All Costs: Government Misconduct in the Name of Expedient Justice" (1998 Pittsburgh Post)

"Killing Justice: Government Misconduct and the Death Penalty," by Michael Kroll. (DPIC, 1994)

"Prosecutors Are Master Framers," by Hans Sherrer. (Justice Denied, the Magazine for the Wrongly Convicted)

"Prosecute the Prosecutors Who Wrongly Convicted," by Robert Pauley. (St. Petersburg Times September 6, 1999)

Truth in Justice: Working to Free the Wholly Innocent of Crimes They Did Not Commit.

"The Wrong Man: A True Story of Innocence on Death Row," by Michael Mello. (Book Review)

Florida: Retiring Justice has "Grave Doubts" On Guilt of Some Executed (Dec 25, 1998 AP)

"USA: No Getting Away From It - The Risk of Lethal Error in Death Penalty Cases." (Amnesty International November 1998)

Death Penalty Legal Representation Project for the Innocent.

"The Wrong Man," by Alan Berlow. (The Atlantic Monthly, November 1999)

"Innocence Found on Death Row," by Christopher Smart. (Salt Lake Weekly Wire, August 4, 1997)

"What Jennifer Saw: Examining Eyewitness Error." (PBS Frontline 1998)

"The Errors that Make Wrongful Convictions Frighteningly Common," by Jayne Keedle. (The Hartford Advocate, October 22, 1998)

"When the State Makes a Mistake and the Penalty is Death, No Way to Make Amends." by Jayne Keedle. (The Hartford Advocate, December 3, 1998)

"Rubin "Hurricane" Carter, The Other Side of the Story," by Cal Deal.

"Carrying Justice: Overturning Wrongful Convictions Left to Students," by David Moberg. (Salon.Com March 1, 2000)

"A Conservative Case Against Capital Punishment," by Carl M. Cannon. (National Review June 19, 2000)

"Innocent on Death Row," by George Will. (Washington Post April 6, 2000)

"Penalty Box: George Will Gets Capital Punishment Wrong," by Ramesh Ponnuru. (National Review November 6, 2003)

"George Will and Capital Punishment," by Dennis Prager. (Townhall.Com November 4, 2003)

"100th Death Row Inmate Exonerated; DNA Exonerates Arizona Prisoner Ray Krone." (ABC News April 9, 2002)

"In Spite of Innocence: The Ordeal of 400 Americans Wrongly Convicted of Crimes Punishable by Death," by Radelet, Bedau and Putnam. (1992)

"Putting a Price on a Wrongful Conviction," by Fernanda and Janet Roberts. (December 2, 2007)

"Wrongful Conviction Awards Grow; Justice Department Slow in Filing Appeal," by Shelley Murphy. (Boston Globe February 8, 2008)

Wrongful Convictions - Law 635S - Winter 2004 Course Page - University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law.

False Confessions

"Understand the Causes: False Confessions." (The Innocence Project)

"In more than 25% of DNA exoneration cases, innocent defendants made incriminating statements, delivered outright confessions or pled guilty." Link to: Fix the System: False Confessions & Mandatory Recording of Interrogations.

"The Guilty and the Innocent: An Examination of Alleged Cases of Wrongful Conviction from False Confessions " by Paul G. Cassell.

An examination of alleged cases of wrongful conviction from false confessions, from Paul G. Cassell, a University of Utah law professor, emerging as one of the few spokesmen to challenge the anti-death penalty movement. (Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy Spring 1999)

"The Psychology of False Confessions," by Richard P. Conti. (The Journal of Credibility Assessment and Witness Psychology 1999)

"Obtaining a confession is one of the most important aims of police interrogation, and it is estimated that more than 80% of solved criminal cases are solved by a confession. However, a significant number of confessions that result in wrongful convictions are obtained through coercive questioning. This paper examines false confessions and discusses the psychological and social factors that influence innocent suspects to give self-incriminating false statements during police interrogation." (Boise State University)

"The False Confession: Why an Innocent Person Will Confess Guilt," by Alexandra Perina. (Psychology Today Magazine, Mar/Apr 2003)

"A review of one decade's worth of murder cases in a single Illinois county found 247 instances in which the defendants' self-incriminating statements were thrown out by the court or found by a jury to be insufficiently convincing for conviction. "

"False Confessions by Adults." (Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance

Overview, Lab Experiment, Suspects Who are Developmentally Handicapped, Pioneering Studies by Gisli Gudjonsson, Some Examples of Apparently False Confessions, Some Books on False Confessions, References.

The Truth About False Confessions Blog.

"False confessions are a terrible tragedy that is largely preventable. This blog has three specific goals for combating the tragedy: to educate the public and policymakers and deepen understanding of all aspects of the problem; to promote specific reforms; and to assist attorneys with clients who may have confessed falsely."

"Criminal Law Resources: False Confessions," by Ken Strutin. (November 24, 2007)

Scores of links on Current Awareness; False Confession Research; Recording Custodial Interrogations; Resources; PowerPoint Presentations; Bibliographies, from Ken Strutin (JD, MLS), an experienced law librarian, criminal defense attorney, and well-known writer and speaker.

"Report and Recommendations Regarding False Confessions," (California Commission on the Fair Administration of Justice. (July 25, 2006)

"This Report will address the extraction of false confessions during police questioning of suspects. False confessions were identified as the second most frequent cause of wrongful convictions in a national study previously reviewed by this Commission."

"Admissibility of False-Confession Testimony: Know Thy Standard," by Peter Quintieri and Kenneth J. Weiss. (2005)

"Depending on jurisdiction, the admissibility of expert testimony on whether a confession was knowing, intelligent, and voluntary is subject to a legal threshold such as the Frye or Daubert standard. The authors review a 2002 New Jersey Superior Court ruling that illustrates the forces that shape the admissibility of confessions." (Journal of Americn Academy of Psychiatric Law 33:535–8, 2005)

"The Consequences of False Confessions: Deprivations of Liberty and Miscarriages of Justice in the Age of Psychological Interrogation," by Richard A. Leo and Richard J. Ofshe. (Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology Winter 1998)

"This article explores whether contemporary American psychological interrogation practices continue to induce false confessions like the third degree methods that preceded them. This article also analyzes how likely police-induced false confessions are to lead to the wrongful arrest, prosecution, conviction, and incarceration of the innocent."

"Evolutionary Psychology and False Confession," by Jesse M. Bering and Todd K. Shackelford. (American Psychologist Dec 2005)

"We argue that false confessions are the result of specific social dynamic events that trigger evolved heuristics of information management that were designed to maximize our ancestors' genetic replicative success," from Jesse M. Bering, University of Arkansas, and Todd K. Shackelford, Florida Atlantic University. (Page 1037)

“I’d Know a False Confession if I Saw One," by Saul M. Kassin,Christian A. Meissner, and Rebecca J. Norwick. (April 2005)

"College students and police investigators watched or listened to 10 prison inmates confessing to crimes. Half the confessions were true accounts; half were false-concocted for the study. Consistent with much recent research, students were generally more accurate than police, and accuracy rates were higher among those presented with audio-taped than videotaped confessions." From “I’d Know a False Confession if I Saw One: A Comparative Study of College Students and Police Investigators," by Saul M. Kassin,Christian A. Meissner, and Rebecca J. Norwick. (329 Law and Human Behavior, Vol. 29, No. 2, April 2005)

“The Problem of False Confessions in the Post-DNA World," by Steven A. Drizin and Richard A. Leo. (2004)

"In this Article, we analyze 125 recent cases of proven interrogation-induced false confessions (i.e., cases in which indisputably innocent individuals confessed to crimes they did not commit) and how these cases were treated by officials in the criminal justice system." (82 North Carolina Law Review 891 (2004)

“True Crimes, False Confessions: Why Do Innocent People Confess?" by Saul M. Kassin and Gisli H. Gudjonsson. (2005)

"In 1989 a female jogger was beaten senseless, raped and left for dead in New York City's Central Park." From Scientific American, June 2005)

"False Confession," from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. (January 2008)

Online encyclopedia entry with brief summaries of Central Park jogger, Pizza Hut murder, Corethian Bell, Jessie Misskelley, Simon Marshall, 1.6 Stephen Downing, Jeffrey Mark Deskovic, Michael Crowe, Japan, Robert Hubert, Laverne Pavlinac, John Mark Karr.

"Bringing Reliability Back In: False Confessions and Legal Safeguards in the Twenty-First Century,” by Richard A. Leo, et al. (Wisconsin Law Review 2006)

"Although the Central Park Jogger case remains one of the most staggering miscarriages of justice in modern history, it is not unique. There are now over 170 DNA exonerations of convictions, approximately 20 to 25 percent of which resulted in whole or in part from police-induced false confessions." By Richard A. Leo, Steven A. Drizin, Peter J. Neufeld, Bradley R. Hall and Amy Vatner.(Wisconsin Law Review 2006 Volume 2, Page 479-538)

"Experts Say False Confessions Come From Leading Questions, High-Pressure Interrogations," by Edward Humes. (October 27, 2004)

"The police had used lies, false promises, isolation from parents and attorneys, even threats of adult prison and predatory older inmates to persuade the teenager to drop his protestations of innocence." (Orange County Register)

"Expert on False Confessions Testifies; Judge Won't Let Him Give Opinion," by Mark Sauer. (San Diego Tribune, April 29, 2004)

News articles on trials where eyewitness identification "expert" Richard Leo was not allowed to testify or not allowed to give an opinion. (Reposted articles by InjusticeBusters.Com)

"Interrogative Suggestibility, Compliance and False Confessions Among Prisoners and their Relationship with ADHD." (February 14, 2008)

(Abstract only) "The participants were 90 male prisoners, all of whom had completed the Gudjonsson Suggestibility and Compliance Scales (GSS and GCS) within 10 days of admission to the prison. Childhood ADHD symptoms were screened by the Wender Utah Rating Scale (WURS)." From Psychology and Medicine, by G H Gudjonsson, J F Sigurdsson, O O Bragason, A K Newton, E Einarsson, Department of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, London, UK.

Confessions of a Forensic Psychologist: Why do People Admit to Crimes They Never Committed?" by Bob Woffinden. (The Guardian Dec 17, 2002)

Bob Woffinden meets Gisli Gudjonsson, whose pioneering studies changed the face of law. "We know how it used to be. DI Barlow would cajole, insinuate, assert, shout, threaten, bully, bang the table and use whatever forms of persuasion, emotional blackmail or verbal assault were necessary to make the suspect break down and confess. The suspect was led away, usually weeping, and the end credits would roll."

The Norfolk Four: Miscarriage of Justice - False Confessions.

Dr. Richard Ofshe, a sociologist and leading expert on interrogation, has focused his research and writing for nearly twenty years on the influence of interrogation tactics on a suspect’s decisions to falsely confess to a crime. Dr. Ofshe has said that this case is the “most egregious” he has encountered in his nearly twenty years of studying interrogation and false confessions.

"False Confessions: Common Mis-Beliefs (2007 Innocence Network Conference)

Power Point presentation presented at the 2007 Annual Conference of the Innocence Network in Boston.This panel covered how and why the strategies of psychological interrogation lead innocent persons to confess. The session focused on case histories where police have fabricated false confessions by feeding “non-public” details to suspects and then claiming these details, when repeated, demonstrate the suspect’s guilt.

Biographical Profile and Curriculum Vitae of Richard A. Leo, Ph.D., J.D., expert on False Confessions.

Biographical Profile and Curriculum Vitae of Richard J. Ofshe, "expert" on False Confessions.

Biographical Profile and Curriculum Vitae of Steven A. Drizin, "expert" on False Confessions.

Biographical Profile, Books, Research, Trial Consulting of Saul Kassin, "expert" on False Confessions.

Eyewitness Identification

"Understand the Causes: Eyewitness Misidentification." (The Innocence Project)

"Eyewitness misidentification is the single greatest cause of wrongful convictions nationwide, playing a role in more than 75% of convictions overturned through DNA testing." Link to: Fix the System: Eyewiness Identification Reform.

"Amicus Brief: Eyewitness Misidentification Leading Cause of Wrongful Convictions." (2005)

The amicus brief was submitted in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit on behalf of the Center on Wrongful Convictions and the MacArthur Justice Center at the University of Chicago Law School in the case Richardson v. Briley.

"Eyewitness Identification, from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Thorough online encyclopedia entry. Known Cases of Eyewitness Error; Causes of Eyewitness Error; The Law of Eyewitness Identification Evidence in Criminal Trials; Reform Efforts; References.

"Eyewitness Evidence: A Guide for Law Enforcement." (National Institute of Justice 1999)

Initial Report of the Crime/First Responder; Mug Books and Composites; Procedures for Interviewing the Witness by the Followup Investigator; Field Identification Procedure (Showup); Lineups; Recording Identification Results.(43 pages) Developed and Approved by the Technical Working Group for Eyewitness Evidence, U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, October 1999.

Homepage of Professor Gary L. Wells, expert on Eyewitness Identification.

Biographical Profile and Curriculum Vitae of Professor Gary L. Wells, Department of Psychology, Iowa State University; Breaking news, articles and useful materials from one of the foremost experts on eyewitness identification.

Forensics Library: Eyewitness Identification (NLADA 2004)

Excellent resource from the National Legal Aid & Defender Association - Eyewitness ID Wrongful Convictions; Defense Expert Materials; Research Articles; Court Opinions; Training Materials; Pleadings; Websites; Legislative Reforms; Government Expert Materials; Illinois Study.

"Misidentification: The Caprices of Eyewitness Testimony in Criminal Cases," by Ray Moses. (Center for Criminal Justice Advocacy 2001)

The Center for Criminal Justice Advocacy was formed as a free, nonpartisan, grassroots training resource to assist new lawyers in becoming competent criminal trial practitioners. "As a lawyer, you have to deal with the propensity of eyewitnesses to misperceive, misrepresent, misrecollect,and misinterpret. The cases readily reflect the defender's duty to make certain that the client is not a victim of misidentification."

Eyewitness Identification Laboratory at the University of Northern Iowa.

Founded by Dr. Otto H. MacLin, The Eyewitness Laboratory focuses on research in eyewitness memory and identification, and many aspects of face recognition. The Laboratory offers instruction and research training for both graduate and undergraduate students. Current Research, Related Links, Bibliographies and Abstracts.

Eyewitness Identification Research Laboratory at the University of Texas at El Paso.

"System variables" are factors affecting eyewitness identifications that are under the control of the criminal justice system. We have developed working bibliographies for the following topics. "Estimator Variables" are factors whose impact on eyewitness identifications can only be estimated after the fact. Psychological Processes in eyewitness memory. This research center, led by Dr. Roy Malpass, has extensive topical indices and bibliographies on eyewitness identification; Current Research, Linls.

"Eyewitness Identification." (New York State Defenders Association January 2008)

Current Developments with links, Special Reports and Artcles with links, Eyewitness Experts with links, Research Links, from

North Carolina Actual Innocence Commission: Recommendations for Eyewitness Identification.

Report of a working study commission of the North Carolina Supreme Court, whose primary objective is "to make recommendations which reduce or eliminate the possibility of the wrongful conviction of an innocent person." (February 2003)

"You Can't Always Believe Your Eyes; How Police Lineups Go Wrong," by Steve Chapman. (Reasononline March 31, 2008)

Short article addressing the probllems with mistaken eyewitness identifications. "Eyewitness testimony can be extremely useful in catching criminals, but it needs safeguards to make sure it doesn't nab the innocent. After all the wrongful convictions in recent years, no one should have trouble seeing that."

"Eyewitness Identification." (Truth in Justice)

"Eyewitness identification is one of the most potent and effective tools available to police and prosecutors. It is compelling, and time after time, it convinces juries of the guilt of a defendant. The problem is, eyewitness identifications are WRONG at least 50% of the time!" With dozens of case histories and links to articles.

"Expert Testimony on Eyewitness Memory and Identification," by Kathy Pezdek. (2006)

Scholarly article on the acceptance of psychological research indicating the common errors of misidentification by eyewitnesses in criminal trials. (Pages 99-117)

"The Proposed Innocence Protection Act Won’t—Unless It Also Curbs Mistaken Eyewitness Identifications," by Margery Koosed. (OSU Law Journal 2002)

"Jurors are trusting mistaken eyewitness identification testimony. They are returning mistaken convictions, and risking mistaken executions. The author urges that federal and state Innocence Protection legislation should include provisions to avert erroneous eyewitness identifications." By Margery Malkin Koosed in the Ohio State Law Journal.

"Beyond the Ken? Testing Jurors’ Understanding of Eyewitness Reliability Evidence," by Richard S. Schmechel, et al. (2006)

The most common rationale for excluding eyewitness identification expert witnesses is that their findings are not “beyond the ken” of the average juror. To empirically test this “beyond the ken” rationale, an independent survey of potential jurors in the District of Columbia was designed to investigate whether jurors understand, as a matter of common sense, what makes some eyewitness identifications more or less reliable than others. By Richard S. Schmechel, Timothy P. O’Toole, Catharine Easterly, and Elizabeth F. Loftus, 46 Jurimetrics J. 177–214 (2006).

Moratorium

"Illinois Governor Ryan Declares Moratorium on Executions." (Press Release January 31, 2000)

Press Release issued by Illinois Governor George H. Ryan suspending all executions in the state of Illinois, and appointing a Commission to review the capital punishment system in Illinois.

"A Talk With Governor George Ryan," by Bruce Shapiro. The Nation January 8, 2001)

Interview with Illinois Governor responsible for the moratorium on executions, his background, experience, and reasoning in making the decision.

A Call for a Moratorium on the Death Penalty in Illinois from the Chicago Council of Lawyers. (March 21, 1997)

Resolution of Illinois Lawyers group that very much sounds like the blueprint adopted by Governor Ryan three years later.

Moratorium Resolution of the American Psychological Association. (August 2001)

"The APA calls upon each jurisdiction in the United States that imposes capital punishment not to carry out the death penalty until the jurisdiction implements policies and procedures that can be shown through psychological and other social science research to ameliorate the deficiencies identified above."

"Why I Support The Illinois Death Penalty Moratorium Campaign," by Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr. (1997)

Short press release of Illinois Congressman justifying his stance against the death penalty and for a moratorium on Illinois executions.

"Sick Joke - Or Dead Constitution Walking," by Bob Harris. (Sonoma County Independent February 27, 1997)

News article outlining the fatal ills of the Death Penalty and extolling the virtues of the ABA call for a moratorium. "Capital punishment is quickly transforming the Bill of Rights itself into a Dead Man Walking. The ABA has taken an important step in acknowledging that the death penalty doesn't work. The next step is to accept that it never will."

Moratorium Now!, a Campaign of Equal Justice USA, A Project of the Quixote Center

Self-described project seeking to expand public opposition to the death penalty, as well as bring into clear focus the racial, economic and political biases active in U.S. courts, prisons, jails and policing agencies.

Message Supporting a Moratorium on the Death Penalty from The Dalai Lama.

Statement from the Dalai Lama, read by Kobutsu Shido at the "Creating a Legacy" event. (April 9, 1999).

Colorado Bar Association Moratorium Resolution. (December 2000)

Resolution passed by the Colorado Bar association Board of Governors on December 9, 2000, with a detailed response by the Colorado District Attorneys’ Council.

"Nebraska Poised to Approve Death Penalty Moratorium." (The Independent.Com/AP May 18, 1999)

News article asking the questions: Why here? Why now? On the verge of the Nebraska Legislature approving a moratorium on executions.

"UN Assembly Calls for Moratorium on Death Penalty." (Reuters News December 18, 2007)

"The U.N. General Assembly passed a nonbinding resolution on Tuesday calling for a moratorium on the death penalty, overcoming protests from a bloc of states that said it undermined their sovereignty. The resolution, which calls for "a moratorium on executions with a view to abolishing the death penalty," was passed by a 104 to 54 vote, with 29 abstentions."

The Moratorium Campaign.

Here, at The Moratorium Campaign, we are working to see every state declare a moratorium on executions. We are currently mapping out a plan of action to help people throughout the country take solid, practical steps towards achieving a moratorium in their state. From Sister Helen Prejean, Founder

"Execution Moratoriums, Commutations and Deterrence: The Case of Illinois," by Dale O. Cloninger & Roberto Marchesini. (2006)

Abstract of Paper by Dale O. Cloninger & Roberto Marchesini, University of Houston-Clear Lake. "In January 2003 just prior to leaving office, the Governor commuted the death sentences of all of those who then occupied death row. It is found that these actions are coincident with the increased risk of homicide incurred by the residents of Illinois over the 48 month post-event period for which data were available. The increased risk produced an estimated 150 additional homicides during the post-event period. " (Applied Economics, vol. 38, no. 9, pp. 967-973 (May 20, 2006)

Texas Moratorium Network.

The Texas Moratorium Network is a grassroots network of volunteers and organizations working to establish a moratorium on the death penalty in Texas.

"Moratorium Movement Growing Against Government Killings: Philadelphia City Council." (The Progress Report 2000)

"Reno Says She Finds No Basis for Moratorium on Federal Death Penalty," by Terry Frieden. (CNN September 12, 2000)

"Zeal to End the Death Penalty Growing," by Robert F. Drinan. (National Catholic Reporter June 16, 2000)

"Death Knell for the Death Penalty? by Mark Hansen. (ABA Journal Cover Story June 2000)

Testimony of Wisconsin Senator Russ Feingold on National Death Penalty Moratorium Act. (2000)

"New York Death Penalty Moratorium Resolution from the New York State Defenders Association. (July 25, 2002)

ABA Death Penalty Moratorium Implementation Project

The American Bar Association Death Penalty Moratorium Implementation Project.

"The Death Penalty Moratorium Implementation Project, led by director Deborah Fleischaker, was launched by the American Bar Association (ABA) in September 2001 as the "next step" towards a nationwide moratorium on executions. The Project was created to encourage other bar associations to press for moratoriums in their jurisdictions and to encourage state government leaders to establish moratoriums and undertake detailed examinations of capital punishment laws and processes in their jurisdictions." With links to Resolutions and State Assessment Team Reports.

Evaluating Fairness and Accuracy in State Death Penalty Systems: The Death Penalty Assessment Report - An Analysis of State Death Penalty Laws, Procedures, and Practices. (February 2007 American Bar Association)

State by state analysis: (Alabama, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee) Naturally concluding that the death penalty systems in each state are "deeply flawed." Notorious for the anti-death penalty views of authors.

1997 ABA Resolution Seeking a Moratorium on the Death Penalty. (American Bar Association)
1997 ABA Resolution Seeking a Moratorium on the Death Penalty. (CourtTV)

Resolution adopted by the House of Delegates of the American Bar Association on February 3, 1997, calling for a moratorium on carrying out death sentences in the United States until the jurisdiction (1) ensures that death penalty cases are administered fairly and impartially, in accordance with due process, and (2) minimizes the risk that innocent persons may be executed. [3. until all Prosecutors are villified and all fees are paid!]

"A Gathering Momentum: Continuing Impacts of the ABA Call for a Moratorium on Executions." (January 2000)

Report from the American Bar Association Section of Individual Rights and Responsibilities. (148 pg) Legislative, Executive, and Judicial activity and developments toward a moratorium; Impacts within and beyond the legal community.

Renewed Call for a Moratorium on the Death Penalty by the ABA. (2000)

July 10, 2000 Press Release from the incoming President of the American Bar Association, Martha Barnett, renewing the call for a moratorium on the federal death penalty, and urging lawyers to review death penalty systems in their states.

"Building Momentum: The American Bar Association Call for a Moratorium on Executions Takes Hold; A Summary of Moratorium Resolution Impacts from August 2001 through June 2003. (ABA Death Penalty Moratorium Implementation Project August 2003)

The fourth report produced by the American Bar Association to summarize legislative, judicial, public policy, and other developments that have occurred since the ABA’s adoption of the death penalty moratorium resolution in February 1997.

Liebman / Columbia University Study

"A Broken System: Error Rates in Capital Cases, 1973-1995," Liebman and Fagan, Columbia University.
"A Broken System: Error Rates in Capital Cases, 1973-1995," Liebman and Fagan, Columbia University.

Causing a media sensation, researchers at Columbia University studied more than 4,578 death penalty appeals from 1973 to 1995 and released a report claiming that nationally 68% of all death penalty sentences are overturned on appeal. The study was authored by Columbia University Professors James S. Liebman and Jeffrey Fagan and graduate student Valerie West.

"A Broken System: Part II," Liebman, Fagan, and Gelman, Columbia University.

Why There Is So Much Error in Capital Cases, and What Can Be Done About It - Follow-up report authored by Columbia University Professors James S. Liebman, Jeffrey Fagan, and Andrew Gelman with graduate students Valerie West, Garth Davies, and Alexander Kiss. "There is growing awareness that serious, reversible error permeates America's death penalty system, putting innocent lives at risk, heightening the suffering of victims, leaving killers at large, wasting tax dollars, and failing citizens, the courts and the justice system."

Capital Appeals Revisited," by Barry Latzer and James N. G. Cauthen. (2000)

A review of the Columbia University Study shows that it is flawed by inadequate research, faulty methodology, and reaches an unsupportable conclusion. A reexamination of this previous study of error-rate in capital cases suggests that the system is not “broken,” despite the media accepting such a conclusion without asking any questions. Published in Judicature, Volume 84, No. 2 (September-October 2000), and reposted on the John Jay College Library web site.

"Death Penalty Error Study has Errors of Its Own." (Criminal Justice Legal Foundation June 19, 2000)

A study announced today by anti-death penalty activists claiming to show that American capital sentences are "fraught with error" is itself riddled with unjustified assumptions and false statements, according to CJLF.

"Death Penalty Report Widely Misinterpreted." (National Center for Policy Analysis)

Excerpts from a June 16, 2000 Wall Street Journal Article: "We're Not Executing the Innocent," written by by Paul G. Cassell. (University of Utah).

The Center on Crime, Communities & Culture.

The goal of the Center is to create a better understanding of and support for effective and humane responses to criminal behavior and victimization. The Center works toward this goal by seeking and supporting outstanding and innovative programs in the field of criminal justice, and by providing academic and research fellowships to individuals committed to becoming leaders in criminal justice. On January 1, 1999 James S. Liebman of Columbia University was awarded a Soros Justice Senior Fellowship of $40-70,000 to "identify and implement effective ways to moderate the use of the death penalty in the United States, drawing on original research challenging popular assumptions driving death penalty policy and a carefully structured set of action-focused discussions across ideological and disciplinary lines.

"Death Penalty Study Ripped," by Teresa Stepzinski. (Jacksonville Times June 23, 2000)

A nationwide study revealing serious errors in many Florida and Georgia death penalty cases has prosecutors on the defensive, arguing that the report shows a bias against capital punishment."These statistics are an attempt by a certain group to try to make brutal murderers out as victims of the system, . . . Currie, a prosecutor for 20 years, characterized the study as little more than propaganda for death penalty opponents.

"Justice on the Cheap: The Philadelphia Story," by Michael Kroll. (Death Penalty Information Center May 1992)

Well-written and lengthy anti-death penalty article concluding that factors of race, geography, and particularly lack of financial resources, make the death penalty unfair, with an emphasis on the experiences in Pennsylvania and Philadelphia. (Citing Professor Liebman's 1990 testimony before Congress for the proposition that 40% of the death penalty cases in federal court are reversed due to incompetent counsel.)

"Opting for Real Death Penalty Reform," by James S. Liebman. (Ohio State College of Law Journal 2002)

"Study Fails to Prove that Death Penalty is Unfair," by Brian P. Janiskee and Edward J. Erler (Claremont Institute July 9, 2000)

"More Death Penalty Demagoguery," by Brian P. Janiskee and Edward J. Erler (Claremont Institute July 31, 2000)

"Innocence and the death penalty," by Ronald Eisenberg. (Pennsylvania District Attorneys)

James Liebman, anti-death penalty criminal defense attorney (ProDeathPenalty.Com)

"Death Sentences Being Overturned in 2 of 3 Appeals," by Fox Butterfield. (NYTimes June 12, 2000)

Dead Wrong: Capital Punishment Study. (Quivis.Com July 14, 2000)

Columbia University Press Release on "Landmark" "Groundbreaking" Death Penalty Study. (June 2000)

Columbia University Press Release With Video/Audio Clips of James S. Liebman. (5:20)

Short Biography of James S. Liebman, Simon H. Rifkind Professor of Law, Columbia University.

Columbia Study: "Alabama Doesn't Execute Innocent People," by Bill Pryor. (Huntsville Times July 4, 2000)

Columbia Study: "US Study Exposes a System Rife With Errors, by Kate Randall. (World Socialist June 22, 2000)

Columbia Study: "Most Death Penalty Cases Flawed," by Laurie Asseo. (ChicagoLand/AP June 12, 2000)(with Real Audio)

Columbia Study: "Deadly Questions," by David Johnson. (InfoPlease.Com)

Columbia Study: "Death Penalty-Still Guilty," editorial by Peter Bronson. (Cincinnati Enquirer June 18, 2000)

Accuracy In Media Report: Flawed Columbia University Study.(August A 2000)

Politics and the Death Penalty

Killing for Votes: The Dangers of Politicizing the Death Penalty Process.

Death Penalty Information Center Report by Richard C. Dieter (October 1996)

Judges and the Politics of Death.

"Judges and the Politics of Death: Deciding Between the Bill of Rights and the Next Election in Capital Cases" by Stephen B. Bright and Patrick J. Keenan (73 Boston University Law Review 759 (May 1995).

Elected Judges and the Death Penalty in Texas.

"Elected Judges and the Death Penalty in Texas: Why Full Habeas Corpus Review by Independent Federal Judges Is Indispensable to Protecting Constitutional Rights," by Stephen B. Bright, Southern Center for Human Rights - Texas Law Review, Vol. 78, page 1806, (2000).

The Politics of Crime and the Death Penalty.

The Politics of Crime and the Death Penalty: Not "Soft on Crime," But Hard on the Bill of Rights by Stephen B. Bright (39 Saint Louis University Law Journal 479 (Winter, 1995).

"Killing for Votes," by Robert Sherrill. (The Nation January 8, 2001)

Part of a long feature article, "Death Trip: The American Way of Execution."

"Hanging Judges," by Robert Sherrill. (The Nation January 8, 2001)

Part of a long feature article, "Death Trip: The American Way of Execution." Emphasis on elected appellate judges.

"The Vain Search for Deadly Accuracy," by Richard Cohen. (Washington Post April 20, 2000)

You can DNA test to your heart's content, provide money for crackerjack lawyers, look every prosecutor in the eye and make him cross his heart, but the innocent will, inevitably and with certainty, die anyway. If politicians want to ensure that doesn't happen, all they have to do is abolish capital punishment. There's a test for that, too. It's called political courage.

"Beyond Politics: Why Supreme Court Justices are Appointed for Life," by Roger Cossack. (CNN.Com Law Center July 13, 2000)

Short article discussing the constitutional basis for the framers making life terms for Supreme Court Justices in order to avoid politics. Also noting that several states have rejected this approach, requiring the justices to stand for election. Also recognizing the importance of the next President's appointments to the bench.

"Calculating the Risk," by William Saletan. (MotherJones July/August 1999)

Does the Death Penalty protect innocent life, or endanger it? As fatal errors escalate, voters may reconsider capital punishment.

"The Law and Politics of the Death Penalty," a Conference at the University of Oregon.

"The Law and Politics of the Death Penalty: Abolition, Moratorium, or Reform?" (March 1 & 2, 2002) at the University of Oregon , sponsored by the Wayne Morse Center for Law and Politics. Conference Host: Charles J. Ogletree, Jr., with Keynote Speakers Senator Mark Hatfield, Robert Blecker, Bryan Stevenson, Helen Prejean, Stephen B. Bright, and Governor George H. Ryan. (Oregon Law Review will publish a special issue on capital punishment that will include ten papers delivered at this conference. (Oregon Law Review, Spring 2002, Volume 81, Number 1)

Political Pulse: "Growing Doubts About the Death Penalty," by William Schneider. (The Atlantic Online June 14, 2000)

"Suddenly, the politics of capital punishment appears to be changing. In 1992, Bill Clinton's support for the death penalty, more than any other issue, signaled to voters that he was a New Democrat. The death penalty became a signature issue for New Democrats."

Bush/McCain/Obama/Clinton on the Death Penalty

The Candidates on the Death Penalty. (The Pew Forum on Religion 2008)

Hillary Clinton, John McCain, Barack Obama, Ron Paul.

"Give Them Death: Three Leading Democratic Candidates Support Capital Punishment," by Liliana Segura. (AlterNet. January 25, 2008.

"Opposing the death penalty used to distinguish Democrats from Republicans. Now, across party lines, death is just another day at the office."

Presidential Candidates on the Death Penalty. (About.Com)

Hillary Clinton, John McCain, Barack Obama, Mike Huckabee.

"Barack Obama to Change Death Penalty Law." (Huliq.Com)

"Barack Obama who runs for U.S. president tries to reform the death penalty law. While an Illinois state senator, Obama was key in getting the state's notorious death penalty laws changed, including a requirement that in most cases police interrogations involving capital crimes must be recorded."

"Barack Obama on the Death Penalty." (YouTube.Com)2008.

Video of Barack Obama during Illinois Senate debate, addressing the issue of capital punishment.

"Clinton and Obama: Crime and Punishment." (Sentencing Law and Policy Blog January 28, 2007)

Blog entries on the shifting stances of Obama and Clinton on the death penalty.

"Candidates Asked "What Would Jesus Do?" About the Death Penalty. (Sentencing Law and Policy Blog November 29, 2007)

Self-proclaimed Christian conservative Republican candidates were asked by a young person to answer the question: "what would Jesus do" about the death penalty. When pressed for an answer, Mike Huckabee said "Jesus was too smart to ever run for public office. That's what Jesus would do."

"Republicans Are Asked: What Would Jesus Do?" by Mark Silva. (Chicago Tribune November 29, 2007)

"For a presidential contest in which religion – and indeed the religious faith of at least one candidate – will play a certain role in the choices which many voters make, two questions loom large here: Is every word in the Bible true, and “what would Jesus do’’ about capital punishment."

"Most Candidates Wrong on Death Penalty," by John Nichols. (CommonDreams.Org January 3, 20080)

Repposted article from the Madison, Wisconsin Capital Times. "Yet, for the most part, the candidates for the 2008 Democratic and Republican presidential nominations are death penalty supporters — or, perhaps even more objectionably, they are death penalty apologists."

"Where Candidates Stand on Crime, Death Penalty," by Bob Egelko. (San Francisco Chronicle February 10, 2008)

News article highlighting the less than firm positions of Obama and Clinton on the death penalty. "Although Clinton and Obama, both lawyers, have some important differences, their positions on two of the most politically sensitive crime issues - the death penalty and gun control - have converged."

John McCain on the Death Penalty and Other Criminal Justice Issues. (San Francisco Chronicle February 10, 2008)

News article highlighting the less than firm positions of Obama and Clinton on the death penalty. "Although Clinton and Obama, both lawyers, have some important differences, their positions on two of the most politically sensitive crime issues - the death penalty and gun control - have converged."

"Still, Candidates Avoid Death Penalty Debate," by Ben Jones. (Yale News March 26, 2008)

"As contenders for the presidency tailor their campaigns to address predominately middle-class concerns — health care, the economy, Iraq — they are giving short shrift to other issues that, though pressing, fail to capture the attention of their primary demographic."

"Most Democratic Candidates Duck Death Penalty Issue," by Haider Rizvi. (CommonDreams.Org January 14, 2004)

Heavily slanted anti-death penalty news article bemoaning the frailure of democratic candidates to take a strong stand against the death penalty.

"Kerry, Bush at Near Opposite Extremes on Death Penalty," by Patricia Zapor. (Tidings Online September 17, 2004)

On the 2004 Presidential Campaign: "Kerry would be "the most anti-death penalty president elected in the modern era."

"Kerry a Firm Foe of the Death Penalty," by Charles Hurt. (Washington Times March 28, 2004)

"Sen. John Kerry opposes the death penalty almost without exception, making him the first major-party presidential candidate in more than 15 years to take such a strong stand against capital punishment." (Reposted by Texas MOratorium Network.

"George W. Bush: Governor Death," by Christopher Hitchens. (Salon Magazine August 7, 1999)

Article questioning why the assembly-line execution machine of Texas Governor Bush has not become a presidential campaign issue.

"2002 Presidential Candidates' Views on the Death Penalty," by Richard C. Dieter. (DPIC)

Short summary of candidate views on the death penalty, 2002.

"Candidates On the Death Penalty," by Jeralyn. (Talk Left November 02, 2003)

Short summary of candidte views on the death penalty: Dennis Kucinich, Al Sharpton, and Carol Moseley Braun, Wesley Clark, John Kerry, John Edwards, Howard Dean, Dick Gephardt, Joe Lieberman.

"Candidates' Death Penalty Stances Different, But Same," by Jonathan Margulies. (The Daily Pennsylvanian October 23, 2000)

"As the 2000 presidential campaign season enters its final days, Bush's record as governor of Texas -- where more executions are carried out per year than in any other state -- is drawing fire as observers on both sides of the death penalty debate the issue and its relevance in the upcoming election. And as comparisons are made between Bush and Vice President Al Gore, the death penalty remains an issue on which the two have the same fundamental stance."

George W. Bush, U.S. Texecutioner.

Obviously anti-Bush web site concentrating on his pro-death penalty stance.

"Dems for Death: How the Candidates Come Down on Capital Punishment," by James Ridgeway. (Village Voice October 29, 2003)

"While seeking to sugarcoat their positions, six of the nine candidates for the Democratic presidential nomination are for the death penalty. Only Dennis Kucinich, Al Sharpton, and Carol Moseley Braun are in outright opposition."

"Where the Candidates Stand, Shuffle, and Wallow: The Death Penalty," by James Ridgeway. (Village Voice October 11, 2000)

Short news article on the positions taken by both Bush and Gore on the death penalty issue.

"Bush's Death Penalty Dodge," by Alan Berlow. (Salon.Com June 12, 2000)

Obviously slanted anti-death penalty article critical of Texas Governor Bush's failure to grant clemency and reprieves in death cases during his tenure. Recalls Texas several executions, the press releases, and the decisions made by Bush, including the recent reprieve granted to Ricky McGinn.

New Mexico Governor Richardson in Support of Death Penalty. (2008)

"I am in favor of NM's death penalty law. It sends a strong message of zero tolerance for heinous crimes."

Voices of Celebrities and Entertainers

"The Practice" Cast Honored by Anti-Death Penalty Group. (CourtTV Online April 20, 2000)

"Hollywood, Murder and Texas - Gary Graham and the Anti-Death Penalty Movement: A Case Study of Lies, Half-Truths and Intimidation." (Justice For All 1994)

Mike Farrell and the Death Penalty. (Homepage)

"Prosecutor-Turned Author (Scott Turow) Blasts Death Penalty," by Len Lazarick. (Chicago Examiner.Com January 24, 2008)

"Why I Oppose the Death Penalty." (Mike Farrell, Anti-Death Penalty Advocate)

"M*A*S*H Star Seeks End to Death Penalty," by Lakshmi Chaudhry. (AlterNet November 14, 2000)

"Hollywood's Death Row Fetish," by Michelle Malkin. (Human Events Online March 2, 2004)

"Hollywood Fools: Robert Altman, Alec Baldwin and more," by Jonah Goldberg. (National Review Online September 18, 2000)

"Tookie," Repentance, and Hollywood -- It's Not About Race!" by Marie Jon'. (Renew America December 9, 2005)

Accuracy In Media Report: Death Penalty Agenda Of The Media; Hollywood's Contribution. (August A 2000)

Anti-Death Penalty Letter from Mark Twain after Witnessing Hanging. (Chicago Republican May 31, 1868)

"I Swear on a Stack of Bibles - I Never Said That! I've Been Misquoted!" (Alec Baldwin, Danny Glover) (April 22, 2002)

"Stars Rally Behind Gang Leader; Celebrities Urge Clemency." (CBSNews November 26, 2005)

"Celebrities Rush to Embrace Abu-Jamal," by Maureen Faulkner." (Philadelphia Inquirer CBSNews December 5, 2007)

Notable Death Penalty Quotes

852 Anti-Death Penalty Quotes.

Judges 112 Quotes, Prosecutors 51 Quotes, Defense Attorneys 26 Quotes, Law Enforcement 35 Quotes, Criminologists 24 Quotes, Scientists 44 Quotes, Politicians 145 Quotes, Religious Leaders 123 Quotes, Victims' Families 112 Quotes, Death Row Inmates' Families 7 Quotes, Exonerees 34 Quotes, Writers & Philosphers 74 Quotes, Others 65 Quotes.

Notable Quotes: Death Penalty.

Albert Camus, George W. Bush, Al Gore, Helen Prejean, John Kerry, Ramsey Clark, Jesse Ventura, Jay Leno, William J. Brennan, Anthony Kennedy, Ralph Nader, Alphonse Karr. (12)

Notable Quotes: Death Penalty.

Albert Camus, French philosopher, Gregory Ruff, police lieutenant in Kansas, Lewis Lawes, warden of Sing Sing prison, Iowa State Supreme Court justice in the 1840s, Abolitionist in the 1840s, an attorney general of Pennsylvania in the 1790s, Gerald Heaney, former appellate judge,Desmond Tutu, Pat Brown, former CA governor, Victor Hugo, author of Les Miserables, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, US Supreme Court justice, David Atwood, founder of Texas Coalition Against the Death Penalty, George Ryan, former Illinois Governor, George Ryan, former Illinois Governor, friend of Ben Franklin's, Dr. Rush, Bryan Stevenson, Death Row lawyer, Stephen Bright, human rights attorney, John Paul Stevens, Supreme Court Justice. (19)

Anti-Death Penalty Quotes from Anna.

Justice William Brennan, Justice Thurgood Marshall, Sister Helen Prejean, Rev. Joseph E. Lowery, John J. Curtin, Jr., Michael Jordan,Marquis de Lafayette, C.D. Hare, Mary Sue Terry,William Sloane Coffin,Martin Luther King, Jr., Mark Twain, Mark Twain, George Will, Freddie Pitts,William McVeigh, Lou Michel and Dan Herbeck,Miriam Thompson, John Ashcroft,Corretta Scott King, President Lincoln, Arafat, Joseph Stalin, Prof. Dr. Ferdinand Kadecka, Texas Governor Rick Perry, John Hermann, Willie Fisher, General Omar N. Bradley,Adolph Eichmann, Bob Dylan, Earnie Larson, Francis Bacon, John Donne. (34)

Death Penalty Quotes from ThinkExist.Com.

Thomas Sowell, Dennis Miller, Nancy Reagan, Alphonse Karr, Albert Camus, George W. Bush, Loesje, Byron R. White, Ann Coulter, Anthony Burgess, Ambrose Bierce (11)

Anti-Death Penalty Quotes from Lou Wagner.

Robert Camus, Helen Prejean, Larry Mattera, Helen Prejean, Helen Prejean, Helen Prejean, Helen Prejean, Coretta Scott King, Eberhard Arnold, Helen Prejean, J.R.R. Tolkien, John Morrison. (12)

Death Penalty Quotes from BrainyQuotes.

Hundreds of quotes, indexed by subject and author.

"Dying Words: The Last Words Spoken by Criminals Before Execution." (Brain Candy Celebrity Quotes)

Notable last words of murderers before execution, from Sir Walter Raleigh to Karla Faye Tucker. (37)

Miscellaneous Anti-Death Penalty Related Quotes from Brian J. Kinder, Missouri Death Row.

Thurgood Marshall, Death Penalty Information Center, Wisconsin Senator Russ Feingold, Gerald Kogan, Illinois Supreme Court Justice Moses Harrison, Judge Rudolph Gerber, William Broaddus, Jay Smith, Attorney Michael Minerva, Bob Butterworth, Hunter Labovitz, Gary Gilmore, Jesse Bishop, Edward Earl Johnson, Johnny Frank Garrett, John Spinkelink, Bob Micholas, Richard Deiter, Florida Representative Bill McCollum, Brad Janowski, Bryan Stevenson, Gerald Chaleff, Eddie Lee Ross’ court appointed attorney. (23)

A few short Death Penalty Quotes from Religious Tolerance.Org.

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, NY State Senator James Donovan, Jesus of Nazareth, Dennis Miller, Anon, Detroit News, James W.L. Park, Sister Helen Prejean, C.S.J., Governor George W. Bush, Rev. Joseph A. Fiorenza, Supreme Court of Canada, Elie Wiesel. (13)

Selected Quotes Against the Death Penalty, from Windows Toward the World. (July 18, 2007)

George Will, Justice William Brennan, John Donne, Justice Thurgood Marshall, Martin Luther King, Jr, Sister Helen Prejean, Rev. Joseph E. Lowery, Coretta Scott King, Mary Sue Terry. (9)

Quotes Against the Death Penalty, from California People of Faith.

Sister Helen Prejean, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Harry A., Blackmun, Mahavira, founder of Jainism, Reverend Bernice King, Perry Cobb, President Jimmy Carter, U.S. Supreme Court Justice William Brennan. (8)

Anti-Death Penalty Quotes, from Virginians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty

Mary Sue Terry, Attorney General of Virginia, Willaim G. Broaddus, Attorney General of Virginia, Sen. Kenneth Stolle, Honorable Harry Fogle, Former Chief Judge of the Sixth Judicial Circuit, Florida, Rudolph W. Giuliani, James W.L. Park, Dorris Mote, mother of a 14-year-old rape/murder victim. (7)

Anti-Death Penalty Quotes, from Anti-Death Penalty Information's website.

Albert Camus, Gregory Ruff, Lewis Lawes, Iowa State Supreme Court justice, Abolitionist in the 1840s , Attorney General of Pennsylvania in the 1790s, Gerald Heaney, former appellate judge, Desmond Tutu, Pat Brown, former CA governor, Victor Hugo, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, David Atwood, George Ryan, George Ryan, friend of Ben Franklin's, Dr. Rush, Bryan Stevenson, Stephen Bright, John Paul Stevens, Supreme Court Justice. (18)

Famous Quotes Supporting Capital Punishment, from Saqib Ali.

Thomas Fuller, Michel de Montaigne, Mary Wollstonecraft, Napoleon, Don Feder, Voltaire, Thomas Szasz, Saqib Ali. (10)

Capital Punishment Quotes, from Wikiquote.

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Katharine Fullerton Gerould, Albert Camus, Potter Stewart, Anton Chekhov, Theodore Roosevelt, Margaret Thatcher, Manfred F. Schieder, Benjamin Tucker, Henry Ford, Orrin Hatch, Don Feder, Saqib Ali, Victor Hugo, Nicolas Chamfort. (15)

Thoughts on Capital Punishment by Rich Geib.

Quotes on capital punishment from historical church leaders, including Pope Leo XIII (1901), and the Bishop of Verden (1411), Massachusetts Colony Laws (1641), French Philosopher Michel Eyquen Montaigne (1533-1592), and Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom (1786). (Intended to show that the punishment is often used to quell dissent and heresy)

Capital Punishment Quotes, from Quotesea.

Phyllis Schlafly, Guru Nanak, Peter Norden, Leith Kubba, John Carter, Tom Nicholson, Ward Campbell, Sun Huapu, Judge Francis Fecteau, Prof. Charles Mathewes, Bill Douglas, Lionel Jospin, Archbishop Angel Lagdameo, Scott Turow, Kim Norris, Franklin Zimring, Arief Supratman, Jack Templeton. (20)

Cruel and Unusual Punishment

The Oyez Project: U.S. Supreme Cases on Cruel and Unusual Punishment.

Audio and transcripts of Oral Argument, Opinion Announcement, Docket, Summary and Written Opinion. The Oyez Project is a multimedia archive devoted to the Supreme Court of the United States and its work. It aims to be a complete and authoritative source for all audio recorded in the Court since the installation of a recording system in October 1955.

The Costitutionality of Capital Punishment (Wesley Lowe)

Short summary of arguments supporting the constitutionality of the death penalty as part of the original intent of the framers, and not cruel and unusual punishment.

"Cruel and Unusual Punishment? We May Have to Find Another Way to Humanely Commit an Inhumane Act," by Larry Petrash. (2008)

Opinion article. "After researching this subject, I’ve begun asking if it is possible to administer capital punishment without it being cruel and unusual punishment. Perhaps it’s possible in theory, but, in practice, it fails." (Wichita Falls Times Record News January 9, 2008)

"Attorneys Ask Court to Declare Death Penalty 'Cruel and Unusual' Punishment for Child Rapist," by Dennis Powell. (ABCNews Sept. 11, 2007 .

Patrick Kennedy, a Louisiana Man, Is Only Inmate on Death Row for a Nonhomicide Offense. News article focusing on the efforts of his lawyers to have his death sentence declared cruel and unusual.

Florida Supreme Court Opinion Upholding Constitutionality of Electric Chair.

Thomas H. Provenzano v. Michael W. Moore. (Opinion #95973) Florida Supreme Court opinion upholding the constitutionality of the Electric Chair following the botched executions of Allen Lee Davis and Pedro Medina. Attached photos of Allen Lee Davis in the electric chair. (September 24, 1999)

"Is the Death Penalty Cruel and Unusual? by John Barry. (SpeakOut.Com May 3, 2000)

Brief essay addressing whether the death penalty is cruel and unusual punishment.

"Is the Death Penalty Cruel and Unusual?" by Travis Dahle. (Associated Content September 04, 2007

An Examination of the Court Rulings that Have Allowed the Death Penalty to Continue in the United States.

"Is the Death Penalty Cruel and Unusual Punishment? (Infoplease)

Brief essay addressing whether the death penalty is cruel and unusual punishment, with emphasis on Atkins v. Virginia and mental retardation. (Excerpted from "The Complete Idiot's Guide to The Supreme Court" by Lita Epstein. (2004)

"Cruel and Unusual Punishment: The Juvenile Death Penalty - Evolving Standards of Decency. (ABA Juvenile Justice Center 2004)

Brief essay addressing whether the death penalty is cruel and unusual punishment, with emphasis on the execution of juvenile murderers.

"When Is It 'Cruel and Unusual Punishment'? Supreme Court Bans Juvenile Death Penalty," by Arline Kaplan. (Psychiatric Times. May 1, 2005)

News article discussing the U.S. Supreme Court Opinion in Roper v. Simmons holding the execution of juvenile murderers to be cruel and unusual punishment.

"Cruel and Unusual Punishment" from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Brief online encyclopedia entry.

"Is the Death Penalty Constitutional? (This Nation.Com)

Brief essay addressing whether the death penalty is cruel and unusual punishment.

"The Death Penalty: Cruel and Unusual?" by JOS. (Time Magazine January 24, 1972)

Timely article on the issue of the death penalty as the U.S. Supreme Court hears arguments in the case of Furman v. Georgia.

Exploring Constitutional Conflicts: The Death Penalty / Cruel and Unusual Punishment. (1999)

Feature series presented by Professor Doug Linder of the University of Missouri at Kansas City Law School.

"Emerging Standards of Decency & Sovereignty: The Death Penalty Is Justified, If At All, Only When the State Demonstrates Beyond A Reasonable Doubt That It Cannot Control Defendant's Conduct By Mere Incarceration," by James Joseph Lynch, Jr., Attorney at Law.

Legal anti-death penalty essay focusing on the 8th Amendment concept of "emerging standards of decency" with historical overview as it relates to the death penalty.

"Can Inordinate Delay Between a Death Sentence and Execution Constitute Cruel and Unusual Punishment? by Dwight Aarons.

Dwight Aarons, Associate Professor of Law, The University of Tennessee College of Law. Published in Seton Hall Law Review, Volume 29:147 (February 16, 2000).

Ring / Apprendi - Judicial Override

Ring v. Arizona, 536 U.S. 584, 122 S.Ct. 2428, 153 L.Ed.2d 556. (June 24, 2002)

Defendant was convicted before the Superior Court, Maricopa County of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit armed robbery, armed robbery, and he appealed. The Arizona Supreme Court, 200 Ariz. 267, 25 P.3d 1139, affirmed. Defendant petitioned for writ of certiorari which was granted. The Supreme Court, Justice Ginsburg, held that Arizona statute pursuant to which, following a jury adjudication of a defendant's guilt of first-degree murder, the trial judge, sitting alone, determines the presence or absence of the aggravating factors required by Arizona law for imposition of the death penalty, violates the Sixth Amendment right to a jury trial in capital prosecutions; overruling Walton v. Arizona, 497 U.S. 639, 110 S.Ct. 3047, 111 L.Ed.2d 511. Reversed and remanded. Justice Scalia filed concurring opinion in which Justice Thomas joined. Justice Kennedy filed concurring opinion. Justice Breyer filed opinion concurring in the judgment. Justice O'Connor filed dissenting opinion in which Chief Justice Rehnquist joined.

Apprendi v. New Jersey, 530 U.S. 466, 120 S.Ct. 2348, 147 L.Ed.2d 435. (June 26, 2000)

Defendant was convicted pursuant to guilty plea in the Superior Court, Law Division, Cumberland County, of possession of firearm for unlawful purpose and unlawful possession of prohibited weapon, and defendant was sentenced to extended term under New Jersey's hate crime statute. Defendant appealed. The Superior Court, Appellate Division, 304 N.J.Super. 147, 698 A.2d 1265, affirmed. Defendant appealed. The New Jersey Supreme Court, 159 N.J. 7, 731 A.2d 485, affirmed. Upon granting certiorari, the United States Supreme Court, Justice Stevens, held that: (1) other than fact of prior conviction, any fact that increases penalty for crime beyond prescribed statutory maximum must be submitted to jury and proved beyond reasonable doubt, and (2) state hate crime statute which authorized increase in maximum prison sentence based on judge's finding by preponderance of evidence that defendant acted with purpose to intimidate victim based on particular characteristics of victim violated due process clause. Reversed and remanded. Justice Scalia filed concurring opinion. Justice Thomas filed concurring opinion in which Justice Scalia joined in part. Justice O'Connor filed dissenting opinion in which Chief Justice Rehnquist and Justices Kennedy and Breyer joined. Justice Breyer filed dissenting opinion in which Chief Justice Rehnquist joined.

Schriro v. Summerlin, 124 S.Ct. 2519. (June 24, 2004)

Respondent was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to death under Arizona’s capital sentencing scheme then in effect, which authorized the trial judge, rather than the jury, to determine the presence of aggravating circumstances that make the defendant eli-gible for the death sentence. The State Supreme Court affirmed on direct review. While respondent’s subsequent federal habeas case was pending in the Ninth Circuit, this Court decided that Apprendi v. New Jersey, 530 U. S. 466, 490, required the existence of an aggra-vating factor to be proved to a jury rather than a judge under Ari-zona’s scheme. Ring v. Arizona, 536 U. S. 584, 603–609. The Ninth Circuit invalidated respondent’s death sentence, rejecting the argu-ment that Ring did not apply because respondent’s conviction and sentence had become final on direct review before Ring was decided. Held: Ring does not apply retroactively to cases already final on direct review.

"Justices Say Death Penalty Is Up to Juries, Not Judges," by Linda Greenhouse. (New York Times June 25, 2002)

News report following the Ring v. Arizona decision. "Nearly 800 people are on death row in the nine states where judges ultimately determine sentences, with or without a jury's advisory opinion. While inmates whose appeals have been exhausted face high procedural obstacles to benefiting from the new ruling, dozens, at least, will be entitled to resentencing as a result of the court's 7-to-2 decision."

The Oyez Project: U.S. Supreme Court Cases: Ring v. Arizona. (2002)

Audio and transcripts of Oral Argument, Opinion Announcement, Docket , Summary and Written Opinion. The Oyez Project is a multimedia archive devoted to the Supreme Court of the United States and its work. It aims to be a complete and authoritative source for all audio recorded in the Court since the installation of a recording system in October 1955.

"Ring v. Arizona" from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Brief entry in online encyclopedia, discussing the facts of the case, the ruling, and its relationship to Apprendi.

"Ring v. Arizona: Who Decides Death? by Charles L. Scott, and Joan B. Gerbasi. (2003)

Thoughtful article on the likely impact of Ring v. Arizona in states where judicial override is allowed. "The Court’s decision may affect nearly 800 death sentences in nine states and may require resentencing of hundreds of inmates. (Arizona, Idaho, Montana, Colorado, Nebraska, Alabama, Delaware, Florida, and Indiana) From the Journal of American Academy of Psychiatric Law 31:106–9, 2003.

"The Clash of Ring v. Arizona and Teague v. Lane: An Illustration of the Inapplicability of Modern Habeas Retroactivity Jurisprudence in the Capital Sentencing Context," by Katharine A. Ferguson. (Boston University Law Review February 2008)

Scholarly but defense oriented article discussing the rules of retroactivity in the death penalty context.

"Judicial Override In Alabama." (Equal Justice Initiative March 2008)

Report from the anti-death penalty group Equal Justice Initiative. "Of the 198 persons currently on death row in Alabama, 40 were condemned by judicial override."

"Law Professor Gets Inmate Off Death Row in Legal Victory," by Peter Schuler. (University of Chicago Chronicle March 4, 2004)

University of Chicago Press Release, noting that one of its law professors, Bernard Harcourt, was successful after a 14 year legal battle of getting Alabama Death Row prisoner Phillip Tomlin a new sentencing without the possibility of death. Tomlin was originally sentenced to death by a Judge 26 years earlier, rejecting a unanimous jury verdict for life imprisonment. The appeal focused upon the requirement that judicial override be guided by specific standards.

"Capital Punishment," by Stephen Silver, Laura Bissell Auwers. (Georgetown Law Journal June 1998)

Well written and referenced summary of the law of capital punishment. Advisory verdicts and judicial override is discussed at Page 14.

"Juries in Death Penalty Sentencing Hearings," by Christopher Reinhart, Senior Attorney. (Connecticut General Assembly)

Consice report with a state by state breakdown of laws showing what actions result after a jury is unable to unanimously agree on a sentence.

"Ring: Hammer of Justice, Bell of Freedom... All Over This Land," by Chris Adams. (Death Watch October 2002)

Short article on the Ring v. Arizona decision, its impact, and the unanswered questions remaining.

"Court Rejects Death Row Appeals." (CBS/AP June 24, 2004)

The Supreme Court refused Thursday to overturn the death sentences of more than 100 inmates who argued their fates were improperly determined by judges, not jurors. (Summerlin)

Alabama: Judicial Override: "The Judge as Lynch Mob," by Ken Silverstein. (American Prospect May 7, 2001)

Long article on the power of Alabama Judges to override a jury recommendation for a life sentence in death penalty cases, the modern-day equivalent of a lynch mob.

"26 Years on Death Row: Time to Annul Judicial Override," by Bernard E. Harcourt. (Birmingham News May 11, 2004)

Article on the release of inmate Phillip Tomlin after 26 years on Alabama Death Row. "In Tomlin's case, since 1990 a series of judges in Mobile improperly exercised that power and imposed a death sentence despite the jury's verdict for life -- only to be told by the Alabama Supreme Court, many years later, that they had failed to properly consider the jury's decision." (Reposted by Torley.Org Forum)

Habeas Corpus

"Federal Habeas Corpus: An Abridged Sketch," by Charles Doyle. (April 28, 2006)

Congressional Research Service Report for Congress, received through the CRS Web. Four page summary of the current state of habeas corpus law in the federal courts, with historical references. From Charles Doyle, Senior Specialist, American Law Division.

Death Penalty Update: Limiting Habeas Corpus Appeals (PBS Online July 30, 1997)

Transcript of PBS News Hour segment discussing new federal laws limiting habeas appeals in death penalty cases, with David Crump (University of Houston), Paul Wickes (Defense Attorney), and Bill Taylor (ABA). Also available in Real Audio.

The California Habeas Corpus Resource Center. (HCRC)

The Habeas Corpus Resource Center (HCRC), located in San Francisco, provides counsel to represent indigent men and women under sentence of death in California. The HCRC's mission is to provide timely, high-quality legal representation for indigent petitioners in death penalty habeas corpus proceedings before the Supreme Court of California and the federal courts. Established in 1998 to accept appointments in state and federal habeas corpus proceedings, and created as an agency in the judicial branch of the State of California.

"The New Speed Up in Habeas Corpus Appeals, A Summary," by Ned Walpin. (PBS Online 1996)

Transcript of PBS News Hour segment discussing new federal laws limiting habeas appeals in death penalty cases, with David Crump (University of Houston), Paul Wickes (Defense Attorney), and Bill Taylor (ABA). Also available in Real Audio.

Habeas Corpus, A Much-Needed Reform," by Andrew Peyton Thomas. (National Review May 4, 1998)

Article from a former Assistant Arizona Attorney General. "A much-needed reform seemed poised to hasten executions, until federal judges got their hands on it."

"Federal Habeas Corpus Review: Challenging State Court Criminal Convictions," by Roger A. Hanson and Henry W.K. Daley. (1995)

Discussion paper prepared by the Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Center for State Courts. (41 pages September 1995)

"Why We Can't Let Them Tamper with Habeas Corpus," by Staughton Lynd. (History News Network June 11, 2007)

"In reality the ancient judicial writ known as “habeas corpus” is the most elemental, existentially relevant pleading in Anglo-American legal practice. It is the form of words that seeks to protect us from indefinite, anonymous, uncharged imprisonment, and that gives a prisoner sentenced to death a last chance to reverse the trial verdict, or at least, the sentence."

"The ABA and Federal Habeas Corpus," by Larry W. Yackle, Boston University Professor of Law. (1998)

Thorough and well-referenced law review article evaluating the claims of the American Bar Association that recent changes in Habeas Corpus law in the federal courts have significantly and unfairly limited the rights of capital defendants. The conclusion, of course, is that the ABA is right. (61 Law & Contemp. Probs. 171 Autumn 1998)

"The Death Penalty and Habeas Corpus: Taking Stock, and Looking Ahead," by Vivian Berger. (ACLU October 1, 1997)

Brief position statement by Vivian Berger, ACLU General Counsel, opposing limitations in Habeas Corpus appeals in death penalty cases.

"Federal Appeals Under Attack! The Streamlined Procedures Act." (NCADP)

Brief summary of new changes to limit Habeas Corpus appeals in capital cases, with links to pro-death penalty groups who oppose the new limitations, from National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty.

"Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996," from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Brief online encyclopedia entry.

"Does the Bill of Rights Apply Here Any More? Evisceration of Habeas Corpus," by Stephen B. Bright. (NACDL, November 1996)

Opinion page from The Champion, a publication of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.

A Prisoner's Right?: Limiting Habeas Corpus Appeals (PBS Online, June 3, 1996)

Transcript of PBS News Hour segment discussing new federal laws limiting habeas appeals in death penalty cases, and a recent case (Ellis Wayne Felkerin) front of the U.S. Supreme Court on the issue. Also available in Real Audio.

"Rehnquist Urges Curb on Appeals of Death Penalty," by Linda Greenhouse. (New York Times May 16, 1990)

"Declaring that the system for handling death penalty appeals in the Federal courts ''verges on the chaotic,'' Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist today issued his most direct call for passage of a bill to place strict new limits on appeals by death row prisoners."

Habeas Corpus Review Blog.

News and Commentary on the "Great Writ of Liberty" and the Death Penalty, with news reports and commentary on Habeas Corpus in the Federal Courts.

Mental Illness and the Death Penalty

Atkins v. Virginia, 536 U.S. 304, 122 S. Ct. 2242, 153 L.Ed. 2d 335. (June 20, 2002)

Petitioner Atkins was convicted of capital murder and related crimes by a Virginia jury and sentenced to death. Affirming, the Virginia Su­preme Court relied on Penry v. Lynaugh, 492 U. S. 302, in rejecting Atkins’ contention that he could not be sentenced to death because he is mentally retarded. Held: Executions of mentally retarded criminals are “cruel and unusual punishments” prohibited by the Eighth Amendment.

The Oyez Project: U.S. Supreme Court Cases: Atkins v. Virginia. (2002)

Audio and transcripts of Oral Argument, Opinion Announcement, Docket , Summary and Written Opinion. The Oyez Project is a multimedia archive devoted to the Supreme Court of the United States and its work. It aims to be a complete and authoritative source for all audio recorded in the Court since the installation of a recording system in October 1955.

Execution of the Mentally Retarded (Death Penalty Information Center)

List of 44 allegedly mentally retarded inmates who have been executed since 1976, by name, state, race, IQ, and date of execution; News and Developments; State Legislative guide.

State Statutes Prohibiting Execution of Retarded (Death Penalty Information Center)

List of state statutes prohibiting the Death Penalty for persons with Mental Retardation, with statute citations, definitions, and short summaries of each.

Execution of the Mentally Retarded (Fight the Death Penalty in USA)

List of 32 mentally retarded inmates who have been executed since 1976, by name, state, race, IQ, and date of execution; Texas newspaper editorials and articles.

"Mental Illness and the Death Penalty: Alan Matheney," by Angela M. Vuotto, DO, J. Richard Ciccone, MD. (2006)

Brief article in the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law (34:2:253-255), highlighting the Indiana execution of Alan Matheney, and discussing the difference between mental retardation and mental illness.

Mental Illness and the Death Penalty, Recommendation 122A of the American Bar Association. (August 7-8, 2006)

"Defendants should not be executed or sentenced to death if, at the time of the offense, they had significant limitations in both their intellectual functioning and adaptive behavior, as expressed in conceptual, social, and practical adaptive skills, resulting from mental retardation, dementia, or a traumatic brain injury."

The Death Penalty and People With Mental Illness, Policy Position P-44 from the National Mental Health Association.

"Our current system of justice inadequately addresses the complexity of cases involving criminal defendants with mental illness. Therefore, NMHA calls upon states to suspend using the death penalty until more just, accurate and systematic ways of determining and considering a defendant’s mental status are developed."

"Mental Illness and the Death Penalty in the United States." (ACLU January 31, 2005)

"Over 60 people diagnosed as mentally ill or with mental retardation have been executed in the United States since 1983. While precise statistics are not available, it is estimated that 5 to 10 percent of people on death row have a serious mental illness."

"Beyond Reason: The Death Penalty and Offenders with Mental Retardation." (Human Rights Watch March 2001)

Thorough and well-referenced anti-death penalty article on the execution of the mentally retarded. Overview; Legal Standards; Miscarraiges of Justice in Capital Trials; Criminal Culpability; Individualized Sentence Determination; 16 Defendants with retardation and their stories.

"Beyond Reason: Executing Persons with Mental Retardation," by Jamie Fellner. (ABA 2001)

Pre-Atkins anti-DP article from the Section of Individual Rights & Responsibilities of the American Bar Association. (Summer 2001)

"Young and Retarded are Fair Game," by Robert Sherrill. (The Nation January 8, 2001)

Part of a long feature article, "Death Trip: The American Way of Execution." Emphasis on executions of juveniles and mentally incompetent defendants.

"Defending Categorical Exemptions to the Death Penalty," by Carol & Jordan Steiker. (Law & Contemp. Probs. Autumn 1998)

Lengthy Duke University article reflecting on the American Bar Association Resolutions concerning the execution of juveniles and persons with mental retardation.

The Arc of the United States, A National Organization on Mental Retardation.

The country's largest voluntary organization committed to the welfare of all children and adults with mental retardation and their families. (formerly the Association for Retarded Citizens of the United States)

"Execution vs. Treating Ills," by Michael King. (Christian Science Monitor, August 16, 1999)

Short article on the upcoming Texas execution of Larry Robinson, who allegedly committed 5 murders where the "evidence is abundant that Robison was completely insane at the time of the murders."

"Can Low-IQ Convicts Be Put on Death Row?" (Christian Science Monitor, March 26, 2001)

Short article on the upcoming hearing before the United States Supreme Court in the case of John Paul Penry on Texas death row.

"What About Retarded Criminals," by Bruce Shapiro. (Salon.Com June 13, 2001)

Although Bush says they shouldn't be executed, his Texas record shows otherwise, fueling the division between America and Europe over the death penalty.

"Eddie Mitchell: Mentally Fit to Die?" by Abbie Boudreau. (Medill News Service 2000)

Short article on the status of Eddie Mitchell, on Louisiana Death Row since 1992 with an IQ of 66. (From Northwestern University Medill School of Journalism)

Juveniles and the Death Penalty

Roper v. Simmons, 543 U.S. 551 (March 1, 2005).

At age 17, respondent Simmons planned and committed a capital murder in Missouri. After he had turned 18, he was sentenced to death. Simmons filed a new petition for state postconviction relief, arguing that Atkins' reasoning established that the Constitution prohibits the execution of a juvenile who was under 18 when he committed his crime. The Missouri Supreme Court agreed and set aside Simmons' death sentence in favor of life imprisonment without eligibility for release. It held that, although Stanford v. Kentucky, 492 U. S. 361, rejected the proposition that the Constitution bars capital punishment for juvenile offenders younger than 18, a national consensus has developed against the execution of those offenders since Stanford. Held: The Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments forbid imposition of the death penalty on offenders who were under the age of 18 when their crimes were committed. Pp. 6-25.

The Oyez Project: U.S. Supreme Court Cases: Roper v. Simmons (2005).

Audio and transcripts of Oral Argument, Opinion Announcement, Docket , Summary and Written Opinion. The Oyez Project is a multimedia archive devoted to the Supreme Court of the United States and its work. It aims to be a complete and authoritative source for all audio recorded in the Court since the installation of a recording system in October 1955.

"The Juvenile Death Penalty Today: Death Sentences and Executions for Juvenile Crimes," by Victor L. Streib.

Comprehensive and authoritative work by Victor L. Streib, Professor of Law at Ohio Northern University, available only in electronic format. Historical background; Execution of Juvenile Offenders January 1973 - April 30, 2004 by name, state, date of execution, age at crime, age at execution; Legal Context; Minimum Death Penalty Ages by American Jurisdiction; Foreign Countries; Juvenile Death Sentences Imposed January 1973 - April 30, 2004 by state and by year; Current Death Row Juvenile Inmates with short case summaries. (Updated May 4, 2004)

Juvenile Death Penalty Proposed. (NBC)

NBC News article by Clif Caldwell in the wake of the Jonesboro, Arkansas shootings, spotlighting the efforts of an Arkansas legislator to reduce the minimum age for the death penalty from 17 to 10.

"Children and the Death Penalty: Executions Worldwide Since 1990." (Amnesty International 2002)

Thorough report on the execution of "juvenile" offenders from Amnesty International, listing all such executions in any country since 1990, International Treaties and Human Rights Standards, U.N Resolutions. (September 25, 2002)

"The Exclusion of Child Offenders From the Death Penalty Under General International Law." (Amnesty International 2003)

"This paper examines the evidence supporting the conclusion that the use of the death penalty against child offenders is prohibited under customary international law and as a peremptory norm of general international law." (July 18, 2003)

"Teen Brains on Trial; The Science of Neural Development," by Bruce Bower." (Science News May 8, 2004)

New data on teens' unfinished brain development may aid efforts to get rid of the juvenile death penalty in the United States.

Fight the Death Penalty in the U.S.A.

Complete listing of all current death row inmates in the United States convicted of murder when they were under the age of 18, arranged by state.

Juveniles and the Death Penalty. (Death Penalty Information Center)

Case Summaries for Death Row Inmates Under Juvenile Death Sentences; Facts about Gary Graham on Texas Death Row; Juveniles executed since 1976; Jurisdictions with an age minimum of 18 for capital punishment; Short summary of the work of Victor L. Streib; links to anti-death penalty articles.

"Too Young to Vote, Old Enough to be Executed." (Amnesty International)

Amnesty International/Death Penalty USA article on the upcoming Texas execution of Napoleaon Beazley, 17 when he committed capital murder. Interviews with the Beazley family and details of his trial and appeal. Includes statistics of juvenile executions in Texas and worldwide. (July 31, 2001)

"The Myth of Executing Children," by Jeff Jacoby. (FreeReupublic.Com June 6, 2002)

Columnist bypasses the anti-death penalty rhetoric to recognize a simple fact: No state allows the death sentence for anyone younger than 16, and no one younger than 23 has been executed in modern times. (Boston Globe)

Amnesty International/Death Penalty USA Pages: Time to Stop Executing Juvenile Offenders.

Amnesty International Press Release demanding that the USA join the modern world and stop executing juvenile offenders. (August 16, 2001)

"Stop Killing Kids: Why it's Time to End the Indecent Practice of the Juvenile Death Penalty." (ACLU October 25, 2004)

American Civil Liberties Union position paper.

"Juvenile Death Penalty," by Felisha Vincent. (International Encyclopedia of Justice Studies December 2002)

"During the recent period of increased violent crime, there has been a shift toward stronger policies and punishments. This shift included the waiver of more juveniles to the adult court system. This also led to the increasing number of juveniles committing capital offenses before the age of 18. These offenses carried the penalty of the death penalty or life without parole."

Juveniles on Death Row - Juveniles Executed in the United States (1976 - August 2005)

Name, Race, DOB, and State of each juvenile offender on death row; Name, Race, State, Date of Execution, Age at Murder, age at Execution. From the International Justice Project.

"Killing Hope: the Imminent Execution of Sean Sellers." (Amnesty International, December 1998)

Summary of trial errors, mitigating factors, and international laws broken relating to the upcoming execution of Oklahoma death row prisoner Sean Sellers, 16 years old when he murdered a shop clerk and both of his stepparents.

"On the Wrong Side of History: Children and the Death Penalty in the USA." (Amnesty International, Oct 1998)

Arguments against the execution of juvenile offenders, with historical and worldwide references, and a list of those executed in the United States since 1977, and those currently on Death Row.

"The Slippery Slope of Executing Children," by Kevin Acers. (Oklahoma Coalition to Abolish DP)

Essay noting that the United States has failed to adopt the International Convention on the Rights of the Child. "The word "barbaric" comes to mind. But if we take a look at the death penalty in our own country today, we’ll see that we are standing on a very slippery slope."

United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (Red Cross)

"Article 37 - (a) No child shall be subjected to torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. Neither capital punishment nor life imprisonment without possibility of release shall be imposed for offences committed by persons below 18 years of age." (Adopted by the U.N. General Assembly on November 20, 1989).

"Dead Teen Walking: Shareef Cousin." (Time.Com, January 19, 1998)

The United States is one of the few nations that put juveniles on death row. Shareef Cousin is one of them. On Death Row in Louisiana, he may be innocent. Five Part series from Time.Com by Christopher John Farley and James Willwerth.

Juveniles Against Capital Punishment.

Norwegian anti-death penalty site, in cooperation with the Junior Bannister Foundation.

NPR audio report on upcoming Texas execution of Joseph John Cannon, juvenile offender. (April 22, 1998)

"Too immature to understand the consequences?" If you can't vote, can't watch R rated movies, can't buy cigarettes, then why should you be subjected to the death penalty? (National Public Radio, 8 minutes Real Audio)

"Can Violent Criminals be Too Young to Execute?" by Silvio Carrillo. (SpeakOut.Com May 3, 2000)

Short article discussing the 2000 executions of "juveniles" in Virginia and Texas, from SpeakOut.Com, with links to articles and organizations.

George Stinney, The Youngest Person executed in the U.S. in 1900's. (The Crime Library)

Short article and mugshot of Michael Stinney, executed in South Carolina in 1944 at the age of 14 for the murder of two white girls, aged 8 and 11.

"Opposition to Executing Juveniles Grows," by Richard Willing. (USA Today Excerpt January 24, 2000)

Short excerpt from USA Today article on the execution of juveniles from the National Center for Policy Analysis, as part of discussion on Crime and Gun Control.

"Wasted Youth," by Vince Beiser. (MotherJones December 23, 1999)

Anti-DP article critical of U.S. executions of "juveniles": Almost every nation on earth has banned executions of juvenile offenders -- but in the US in January, a record four people are scheduled to die for crimes committed while they were kids.

"The Death Penalty in Black & White: Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Decides," by Richard Dieter, DPIC. (June 1998)

"Pro & Con: The Death Penalty in Black and White," by Dudley Sharp, Justice For All. (June 24, 1999)

Race, Sentencing, and the Death Penalty. (October 1, 1997 Justice For All)

Racism and Capital Punishment. (October 1, 1999 Wesley Lowe)

"Racial Disparities in the Capital of Capital Punishment," by Scott Phillips. (45 Houston Law Review 2008)

"The Myth of Racism in American Capital Cases, or The UN’s Ignorance on the Death Penalty," by John Perazzo. (August 13, 2001)

"The Myth of Racism in the Death Penalty," by David Andrew Price. (National Center for Policy Analysis / USA Today)

"Black Man’s Burden: Race and the Death Penalty in America," by Charles Ogletree. (81 OR. L. REV. 15 (2002)

"Death by Discrimination - The Continuing Role of Race in Capital Cases." (Amnesty International April 24, 2003)

"Smoke and Mirrors on Race and the Death Penalty," by Kenneth Scheidegger. (Criminal Justice Legal Foundation)

"Based on What You Know: Race, Prejudgment, and the Death Penalty," by Bronson and Ross. (Public Opinion Pros 2007)

Race and the Death Penalty in North Carolina 1993-1997. (Dr. Isaac Unah and Professor John Charles Boger 2001)

"Texas Psychologist Speaks Out About His Testimony on Race and Crime," by Raju Chebium. (CNN June 9, 2000)

"Execution By Quota?" by Stanley Rothman and Stephen Powers. (Smith College, The Public Interest, Summer 1994)

Death Penalty Facts: The Death Penalty is Racially Biased. (Amnesty International USA 2002)

Florida: "Capital Cases Task Force: Racial Bias Unclear," by Joe Becker. (St. Petersburg Times April 8, 2000)

"Race and the Death Penalty." (ACLU February 26, 2003)

"Discrimination, Death and Denial," by Stephen B. Bright. (Santa Clara Law Review, 1995)

"A Legacy of Lynching: The Death Penalty as a Tool of Social Control," by William S. McFeely. (NACDL, Nov 1997)

"There is No Precedent for Justice and Equality in Capital Punishment," by Rose Sanders. (In Motion Magazine)

"Race and the Death Penalty." (American Bar Association Focus, Spring 1997)

"Killing With Prejudice - Race and the Death Penalty." (Amnesty International, May 20, 1999)

"Georgia Needs a Racial Justice Act," by Michael Mears. (GIDC August 1998)

"The Death Penalty in the U. S. Continues to Reflect our Nation's Prejudice," by Michael Mears. (July 1999)

Pennsylvania Supreme Court Committee on Racial and Gender Bias in the Justice System. (Chapter 6: Death Penalty 2003)

"Race and the Death Penalty in Pennsylvania: Will Rendell Act? by David Lindorff. (Counterpunch March 8, 2003)

"Death Penalty for Female Offenders January 1, 1973 - December 31, 2005" by Victor L. Strieb.

Comprehensive and authoritative work by Victor L. Streib, Professor of Law at Ohio Northern University, available only in electronic format. Number of executions of female offenders in the 20th century and death sentences since 1973; Characteristics by age, race, sex, and victim of current death row; Female death sentences imposed since 1973 by name, date, state, and current status; Very short case summaries of current female death row inmates by state. (Reposted by Death Penalty Information Center and updated January 10, 2006)

"Professor Streib Studies Women on Death Row," by Mike Wilder. (Times-News February 16, 2008)

News article spotlighting the academic efforts of Professor Victor streib relating to women on death row.

Women and the Death Penalty: Brief Facts and Figures (DPIC)

Except for a large photo of Sister Helen Prejean and poster child Karla Faye Tucker in Texas, a repeat of the information from Victor L. Streib, Professor of Law at Ohio Northern University, listing women on death row and women executed.

Why Women Aren't Executed: Gender Bias and the Death Penalty (ABA Fall 1996)

American Bar Association publication of "Human Rights," Fall 1996 by Thad Rueter, commenting upon the obvious gender bias of death sentences, with women more likely to receive mercy, clemency, and commutation.

"Mothers Who Think: Sexism and the Death Chamber," by Cathy Young. (Salon.Com May 4, 2000)

"We are consistently more likely to seek mitigating circumstances for women's heinous deeds, to see female criminals as disturbed or victimized rather than evil. The thought of a woman in the death chamber makes people cringe."

Capital Punishment U.K.: The Female Hanged.

Case summaries of the 38 women hanged in Britain for murder since 1868.

American Female Executions 1900 -2003. (Capital Punishment U.S.A.)

Listing of the 47 women executed in the United states since 1900, by age, race, state, date of execution, and method of execution. (short summaries of most recent cases)

Female Hangings 1632-1900. (Capital Punishment U.S.A.)

Listing of the women executed in the United states before 1900.

Dead Women Waiting: Who's Who on Death Row," by Sam Howe Verhovek (New York Times, February 8, 1998)

Short news article on female death row inmates, with photos of 12 from around the country.

"Fighting Demons on Death Row," by Kathie Doby (Salon Magazine)

The story of Andrea Hicks Jackson on Florida Death Row. (Salon Magazine, December 1995)

The Case of Mary Surratt, first woman executed in the United States.

The life story of Mary Surratt and her involvement in the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Compiled from the research of James O. Hall, published and copyrighted by the Surratt Society of Clinton, Maryland.

10 Women Executed In U.S. Since 1976.

Short news article on women executed in the United States since the reinstatement of capital punishment in 1976. (with photos of Wuornos, Harris, Beets, and Tucker)

"Gendering the Death Penalty: Countering Sex Bias in a Masculine Sanctuary," by Victor L. Strieb. (Ohio State Law Journal 2002)

"Much more significant, however, is the unique lens for examining the death penalty that is provided by a sex bias analysis. Professor Streib concludes that this perspective unmasks the system’s crime-fighting rhetoric to reveal a macho refuge that masculinizes all who enter therein."

"Death Penalty for Lesbians," by Victor L. Strieb.

How does a suspect's lesbianism affect whether she is charged for a capital offense, actually sentenced to death, or finally executed? With complete listing of all females sentenced to death since 1973. National Journal of Sexual Orientation Law, Volume 1, Issue 1.

"Death Row Has Its Own Gender Gap," by Scott Baldauf. (Christian Science Monitor January 23, 1998)

"At the Mountain View prison unit in Texas, the highest point is not a mountain, but a guard tower, and the most famous person in town is someone most residents will never meet. She is Karla Faye Tucker."

Commentary: "Searching for a Silver Lining in Death Penalty's Gender Bias, by Earl Ofari Hutchinson. (Pacific News Service Nov 29, 2004)

"The execution of a woman in Texas, scheduled for Dec. 1, shows, in its relative rarity, longstanding notions of women as the inferior sex. But warped notions of male chivalry and female victimization as least offer some possibility that the state might learn to put compassion before bloodlust when it comes to capital punishment, the writer says."

"Staying Alive: Executive Clemency, Equal Protection, and the Politics of Gender in Women’s Capital Cases," by Elizabeth Rapaport.

Article from the Buffalo Criminal Law Review, Volume 4:967, by Elizabeth Rapaport, Professor of Law, University of New Mexico. "When a governor confronts the duty of deciding whether to allow a woman capital prisoner to be executed, he or she is additionally forced to navigate the politics of gender in the new age of formal sexual equality."

"Is the Death Penalty Good for Women?" by Phyllis L. Crocker.

Article from the Buffalo Criminal Law Review, Volume 4:917, by Phyllis L. Crocker, Associate Professor of Law, Cleveland-Marshall College of Law, Cleveland State University. "In this essay, I suggest a different and particularly feminist reason for reexamining, and rejecting, the death penalty. The death penalty perverts society’s response to the tragedy of a woman being raped and murdered by relying on a form of racism that is gendered in nature and by making the horrific nature of the crime of rape-murder a more important consideration in determining punishment than the individual characteristics of the person who committed it."

"Women on Death Row: Blanche Moore," by Charles Montaldo. (About.Com)

"Women on Death Row: Brittany Holberg," by Charles Montaldo. (About.Com)

"Women on Death Row: Carlette Parker," by Charles Montaldo. (About.Com)

"Women on Death Row: Cathy Lynn Henderson," by Charles Montaldo. (About.Com)

"Women on Death Row: Christina S. Walters," by Charles Montaldo. (About.Com)

"Women on Death Row: Erica Sheppard," by Charles Montaldo. (About.Com)

"Women on Death Row: Frances Elaine Newton," by Charles Montaldo. (About.Com)

"Women on Death Row: Kenisha Berry," by Charles Montaldo. (About.Com)

"Women on Death Row: Kimberly McCarthy," by Charles Montaldo. (About.Com)

"Women on Death Row: Linda Carty," by Charles Montaldo. (About.Com)

"Women on Death Row: Suzanne Basso," by Charles Montaldo. (About.Com)

Costs and Economics of the Death Penalty

The Costs of LWOP Versus the Death Penalty. (Justice For All)

Capital Punishment and its Cost. (Wesley Lowe)

"Millions Misspent: What Politicians Don't Say," by Richard C. Dieter. (DPIC Revised Fall 1994)

Financial Facts Against the Death Penalty. (DPIC)

"The Economics of Capital Punishment," by Phil Porter.

"Comparison of Capital Punishment Costs in Texas and Connecticut," by Sandra N. Bragg, Legislative Fellow.

"A Strange Investment for a Capitalist Country," by Robert Sherrill. (The Nation January 8, 2001)

"The Case Against the Death Penalty: Financial Costs," by Hugo Adam Bedau. (July 1992)

Millions To Kill -- Pennies To Heal. (National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty)

"The High Costs of the Death Penalty." (American Civil Liberties Union Capital Punishment Project 2002)

"An Economic Analysis of the Death Penalty," by Martin Kasten. (Undergraduate Journal of Economics 1996)

Policy Debate: "Is the Death Penalty an Efficient Crime Deterrent?" from Economics Resource Center.

Capital Punishment - The Costs Of Capital Punishment. (Law Library - American Law and Legal Information)

"Should Condemned Prisoners Receive Organ Transplants?" from About.Com.

"The Next Time Someone Says the Death Penalty Costs More Than Life in Prison, Show Them This Article," by Gary D. Beatty. (2001) (Inactive Link)

Deterrence and Incapacitation

Articles on Death Penalty Deterrence.

Links and summaries / abstracts of articles and studies on the deterrent effect of capital punishment. From the Criminal Justice Legal Foundation.

"Does Capital Punishment Have a Deterrent Effect?" (Emory University Department of Economics January 2001)

Scholarly research paper from economics professors at Emory University, Hashem Dezhbakhsh, Paul Rubin, and Joanna Mehlhop Sheperd, suggesting that the death penalty has a strong deterrent effect. "An increase in any of the three probabilities - arrest, sentencing, or execution - tends to reduce the crime rate. In particular, each execution results, on average, in 18 fewer murders-with a margin of error of plus and minus 10. Tests show that results are not driven by “tough” sentencing laws." Unlike many similar studies, this research is based mainly upon new data from post-1976 information.

"Pardons, Executions, and Homicide." (University of Colorado at Denver October 2001)

Scholarly research paper from economics professors at the University of Colorado at Denver, H. Naci Mocan and R. Kaj Gittings, suggesting that the death penalty has a deterrent effect. The paper uses as a dataset over 6,000 death sentences handed down from 1977 to 1997 in the United States. "We find a significant relationship between the execution and pardon rates and the rate of homicide. Each additional execution decreases homicides by 5 to 6, while three additional pardons generate one to 1.5 additional homicides."

"The Deterrent Effect of Capital Punishment: A Question of Life and Death," by Professor Isaac Ehrlich June 1975)
"The Deterrent Effect of Capital Punishment: A Question of Life and Death," by Professor Isaac Ehrlich June 1975)

Scholarly article from University of Chicago Professor Isaac Erlich, finding a clear deterrence effect of the death penalty. (The American Economic Review, Volume 65, Issue 3, June 1975, Pages 397-417.)

"Life v. Death: Who Should Capital Punishment Marginally Deter? by Charles N. W. Keckler. (2006)

Scholarly article from Charles N. W. Keckler, University of New Mexico, finding a clear deterrent in the death penalty for those who murder and do not fear prison. "In different ways, gangland figures, serial killers, and terrorists all make killing their “business”; it is therefore sensible, as well as singularly appropriate, to selectively focus the use of capital punishment on raising the price of their crimes." (2 J. Law, Economics & Policy 101-161)

"Execution Moratoriums, Commutations and Deterrence: The Case of Illinois," by Dale O. Cloninger & Roberto Marchesini. (2006)

Abstract of Paper by Dale O. Cloninger & Roberto Marchesini, University of Houston-Clear Lake. "In January 2003 just prior to leaving office, the Governor commuted the death sentences of all of those who then occupied death row. It is found that these actions are coincident with the increased risk of homicide incurred by the residents of Illinois over the 48 month post-event period for which data were available. The increased risk produced an estimated 150 additional homicides during the post-event period. " (Applied Economics, vol. 38, no. 9, pp. 967-973 (May 20, 2006)

"State Executions, Deterrence, and the Incidence of Murder," by Paul R. Zimmerman. (2004)

Scholarly article by Paul R. Zimmerman, U.S. Federal Trade Commission - Bureau of Economics. "Correcting for simultaneity, the estimates imply that a state execution deters approximately fourteen murders per year on average. Finally, the results also suggest that the announcement effect of capital punishment, as opposed to the existence of a death penalty provision, is the mechanism actually driving the deterrent effect associated with state executions." (Journal of Applied Economics, Vol. VII, No. I (May 2004), 163-193).

"Murders of Passion, Execution Delays, and the Deterrence of Capital Punishment," by Joanna M. Shepherd. (2004)

Scholarly article by Joanna M. Shepherd, Clemson University. "Each execution results in, on average, three fewer murders. In addition, capital punishment deters murders previously believed to be undeterrable: crimes of passion and murders by intimates. Moreover, murders of both black and white victims decrease after executions." (Journal of Legal Studies, vol. 33, no. 2, pp. 283-322 (June 2004)

"Does Capital Punishment Have a Deterrent Effect?" (Emory University Department of Economics January 2001)

Scholarly research paper from economics professors at Emory University, Hashem Dezhbakhsh, Paul Rubin, and Joanna Mehlhop Sheperd, suggesting that the death penalty has a strong deterrent effect. "An increase in any of the three probabilities - arrest, sentencing, or execution - tends to reduce the crime rate. In particular, each execution results, on average, in 18 fewer murders-with a margin of error of plus and minus 10. Tests show that results are not driven by “tough” sentencing laws." Unlike many similar studies, this research is based mainly upon new data from post-1976 information. (Inactive link)

"Reply to Donohue and Wolfers on the Death Penalty and Deterrence," by Paul H. Rubin. (Economists Voice April 2004) "Reply: The Death Penalty Once More," by Paul H. Rubin. (Economists Voice April 2006)

Replies from Economist Paul H. Rubin after criticism from economists John J. Donohue and Justin Wolfers.

"Getting Off Death Row: Commuted Sentences and the Deterrent Effect of Capital Punishment," by H. Naci Mocan & R. Kaj Gittings. (2003)

Scholarly article by H. Naci Mocan & R. Kaj Gittings, University of Colorado at Denver. "We find statistically significant relationships between homicide and executions, commutations and removals. Specifically, each additional execution (commutation) reduces (increases) homicides by about 5, while an additional removal from death row generates about one additional murder." (Journal of Law and Economics, vol. 46, no. 2, pp. 453-478 (October 2003)

"The Death Penalty Deters Crime and Saves Lives," by David B. Muhlhausen. (August 28, 2007)

Testimony delivered on June 27, 2007, before the Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Property Rights of the Committee on the Judiciary of the United States Senate from David Muhlhausen, a Senior Policy Analyst in the Center for Data Analysis at The Heritage Foundation.

"Estimates of the Deterrent Effect of Alternative Execution Methods in the United States: 1978-2000," by Paul R. Zimmerman. (2006)

Abstract of Paper by Paul R. Zimmerman, U.S. Federal Trade Commission - Bureau of Economics. "Using a panel of state-level data over the years 1978-2000, this paper examines whether the method by which death penalty states conduct their executions affects the per-capita incidence of murder in a differential manner." (American Journal of Economics and Sociology, vol. 65, no. 4, p. 909 (Oct. 2006)

"Uses and Abuses of Empirical Evidence in the Death Penalty Debate," by Donohue and Wolfers. (Stanford Law Review January 9, 2006)

"Our aim in this Article is to provide a thorough assessment of the statistical evidence on this important public policy issue and to understand better the conflicting evidence. Our key insight is that the death penalty—at least as it has been implemented in the United States since Gregg ended the moratorium on executions—is applied so rarely that the number of homicides it can plausibly have caused or deterred cannot be reliably disentangled from the large year-toyear changes in the homicide rate caused by other factors." By John J. Donohue and Justin Wolfers. (Stanford Law Review January 9, 2006)

"Self-Execution, Capital Punishment, and the Economics of Murder: Analysis of UK Statistics," by Samuel Cameron. (October 2001)

Study using UK statistics suggesting that suicide by murder suspects is not influenced by the probability of execution, and greatly dominates the risk of death at the hands of the state. From the American Journal of Economics and Sociology, October 2001

"Capital Punishment and the Deterrence Debate," by Amanda Geller, Jeffrey Fagan and Franklin Zimring. (Columbia University 2007)

Spring 2007 anti-deterrence article from the Institute for Social and Economic Reasearch and Policy (ISERP) at Columbia University.

"Does Death Penalty Save Lives? A New Debate," by Adam Liptak. (NYTimes November 18, 2007)

Incapacitation and Deterrent Effects of the Death Penalty. (Justice For All)

The Deterrent Effect of Capital Punishment. (Wesley Lowe)

"The Death Penalty Deterrence Myth: No Solid Evidence That Killing Stops The Killing," by Cassandra Stubbs. (Huffington Post June 18, 2007)

"Debunking the Death Penalty Deterrence Myth," by John Holdridge and Cassandra Stubbs. (Huffington Post January 8, 2008)

"Does Capital Punishment Deter Crime?" by Jay Johansen. (1998)

"Capital Punishment Saves Lives." (Southern Economic Journal, July 1985)

"Does Punishment Deter?" (National Center for Polcy Analysis August 17, 1998)

"Deterrence and the Death Penalty: The Views of the Experts." (Radelet & Akers 1996).

"Facts" About Deterrence and the Death Penalty. (DPIC)

"The Case Against the Death Penalty: Deterrence," by Hugo Adam Bedau. (July 1992)

"The Death Penalty: An Ineffective Deterrent," by John H. Morrison. (October 29, 1993 MIT)

Deterrence: Fact or Fiction? (National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty)

Deterrence: Death Penalty Information - High School Curriculum. (Michigan State Univ)

"Does the Death Penalty Really Deter Criminals? Statistics Seem to Prove Otherwise," by Sabina Imanbekova. (Utah Daily June 25, 2007)

"Purposes of the Death Penalty." (American Bar Association Focus, Spring 1997)

"The Death Penalty Myth: Deterrence." (SF Chronicle Opinion September 27, 2000)

"How Have Homicide Rates Been Affected by California's Death Penalty?" by Godfrey and Schiraldi. (1995)

Guest Comment: "Don't Know Much About Calculus," by William Tucker. (National Review September 22, 2000)

Accuracy In Media Report: "Fewer Executions, More Murders." (August A 2000)

"Considering Life Without Possibility of Parole or Release," by Laura Magnani. (Peacework Magazine 1999)

Listing of States With / Without Life Without Parole Option in Capital Cases. (DPIC)

"Refereeing the Death Penalty: LWOP is Not Worse than Death," by Barry Farber. (NewsMax.Com June 27, 2000)

"Once a Murderer . . ." (ProDeathPenalty.Com)

Trial Nears for Texas Death Row Inmate Charged with Killing Fellow Prisoner. (Corpus Christi Online, October 26, 1998)

Man Serving Life Convicted of Killing Inmate, Now on Death Row. (AP July 17, 2004)

Thomas Eugene Creech, Idaho Death Sentence Commuted to Life in 1974, Kills Inmate, Back on Idaho Death Row.

"Mississippi Death Row Inmate Donald Leroy Evans Stabbed to Death by Fellow Inmate." (Amarillo.Net/AP, January 5, 1999)

N.C. Death Row Inmate, Tommy Noell: Sentence Commuted, Paroled, and Kills Again. (WRAL Nov. 7, 1998)

Texas Death Row Inmate Stabbed 54 Times. (Amarillo Globe-News, November 5, 1998)

"Dead Run," by Joe Jackson and William E. Burke, Jr., a book on America's only mass escape from Death Row.

"Murders That Could Have Been Averted By Capital Punishment." (The New American August 30, 1990)

"Texas Death Row Inmate Found in Louisiana, Drunk and Talking on Pay Phone." (Kandi's World AP November 7, 2005)

Garner v. Jones (March 28, 2000) Serving Life, Escaped, Murdered Again, Sentenced to Second Life.

"TV Producer Held Hostage by New York Prison Inmate." (ABCNews October 11, 2000)

"Death Row Inmate Christa Pike Convicted of Attacking Fellow Inmate." (PrisonTalk July 1, 2004)

"The George Motchan Story," - Killed in 1975 by an Escaped Inmate in N.Y. (CorrectionHistory.Org 1995)

The Life After Exoneration Program!

The Life After Exoneration Program's mission is to address the injustice of wrongful conviction and incarceration by assisting exonerees and their family members in re-building their lives on the outside, by working to secure their physical, spiritual, psychological, social and economic well being.

"Life After Death Row," by Sara Rimer. (NYTimes Magazine December 10, 2000)

Summaries of the cases and life after exoneration of Rolando Cruz (Illinois), Kirk Bloodsworth (Maryland), Earl Washington (Virginia), James Richardson (Florida), Ronald Williamson (Oklahoma), and Walter McMillian (Alabama).

"Sonia Jacobs: From Death Row to Rebirth." (CBSNews October 27, 2000)

Short news article on the 1992 release of Sonia Jacobs from Florida Death Row after 16 years incarceration for a murder she did not commit.

Robert Lee Massie, Death Penalty Poster Boy, Executed March 27, 2001 in California.

Summary of the case of Robert Lee Massie, who served two separate stints on California Death Row, released on the first after his death sentence was commuted to life imprisonment. 11 years later, he was paroled, and within one year committed another capital murder as well as a string of other violent crimes.

"Robert Lee Massie on Death Row - On Again, Off Again." (SFChronicle March 14, 2001)

Very short summary of the case of Robert Lee Massie, on the eve of his execution.

"Patterson Going Back To Prison For 30 Years." (CBS2 Chicago.Com August 15, 2007 )

News article on Aaron Patterson, who served 17 years on death row before being pardoned by former Illinois Governor Ryan as he was leaving office on 2003. Patterson was sentenced to 30 years in prison for trading in guns and drugs following his pardon.

"Life After Death Row: Three Men Speak After Finding Freedom From Death Row." (CBSNews March 5, 2001)

News report reviewing the release and after lives of Earl Washington, Mike Graham, and Kirk Bloodsworth, three men on death row and later proved innocent and released.Carter.

"Life After Death Row: Picking Up the Pieces After Being Wrongfully Convicted." (ABC 20/20 August 29, 2001)

Summary of television news report on the life of Kirk Bloodsworth, wrongfully convicted of murdering a 9 year old girl and sent to Maryland death row, the proved innocent by DNA in 1993.

"Life After Death Row: A Freed Man Goes to Burger King, Watches "Titanic" and Waits for Reality," by Mike Kataoka. (January 22, 1999)

Riverside Press-Enterprise news article on the recent release of California inmate Lee Perry Farmer Jr., released after 18 years in prison, eight on death row.

"Life after Death Row: A Needs-Based Analysis of Life Post-Exoneration," by Kimberly Cook and Saundra Westervelt. (November 14, 2007)
"Life after Death Row: Coping Strategies of Death Row Exonerees," by Kimberly Cook and Saundra Westervelt. (November 14, 2007)

Abstracts of papers presented for the American Society of Criminology.

"Briton Looks to Life After Death Row," by Paul Kelbie. (The Observer December 23 2007.

"Kenny Richey, the Briton who spent nearly 21 years on death row in the US for a crime he did not commit, may devote some of his new-found freedom to helping other victims of miscarriages of justice . . . Richey is expected to be released shortly after prosecutors in Ohio offered to accept a 'no contest' plea to attempted involuntary manslaughter, child endangering and breaking and entering."

"Life After Death Row: The Odyssey of Rabbit, a.k.a. Robert Driscoll," by Malcolm Gay. (Riverfront Times February 23, 2005)

News article on the release of Missouri Death Row prisoner Robert Driskell, convicted and sentenced to death row twice for murdering a prison guard.

"Rebuilding a Life After Death Row." (London Times May 1, 2007)

News article on the release of Florida Death Row prisoner Sunny Jacobs, convicted and sentenced to death row for the murder of two policemen, then released after 17 years.

"Life After Death Row: Nicholas Yarris." (This Is Guernsey April 3, 2008)

News article on the release of Pennsylvania Death Row prisoner Nicholas Yarris, convicted and sentenced to death row for the rape and murder of a woman, then released after 22 years following his exoneration by DNA evidence..

"Can There be Life After Death Row?." (The Northern Echo May 29, 2006)

"I really wanted to know for myself if he had walked off Death Row and out of prison, would he have killed again? she says. I thought I'll never know the answer to that question' but then I realised there was a group of people who could answer it. They weren't released from Death Row because they were innocent but because they happened to be in the right place at the right time."

"Life After Death Row: Ray Krone," by Anna Bruce-Lockhart. (The UK Guardian April 3, 2008)

News article on the release of Arizona Death Row prisoner Ray Krone, convicted and sentenced to death row for murder, then released after 10 years.

"Freed Inmate Leroy Orange Discusses Tasting Life After Death," by Anna Bruce-Lockhart. (The Daily Northwestern February 14, 2003)

News article on the release of Illinois Death Row prisoner Leroy Orange, convicted and sentenced to death row for murder, then released by the blanket commutation of Governor Ryan after 17 years.

"For 110 Inmates Freed by DNA Tests, True Freedom Remains Elusive." (AP DPIC May 28, 2002)

AP article on the difficulties after DNA "exoneration" and release from prison of 100 inmates, 11 of which served time on death row.

"Life After Death Row," by Caitlin Lovinger. (New York Times August 22, 1999)

News article with short summaries of the cases of death row's living alumni of the 1990's.

N.C. Death Row Inmate, Tommy Noell: Sentence Commuted, Paroled, and Kills Again. (WRAL Nov. 7, 1998) (Inactive Link)

Tommy Noell had his North Carolina death sentence commuted to life imprisonment in 1976, and was released after serving 14 years imprisonment. Five years after his release, Noell was convicted of Second Degree Murder and sentenced to life in prison a second time. This is a TV report from WRAL in Raleigh, North Carolina. (November 7, 1998) (Inactive Link)

Life after Death Row for N.C. Inmate Ed McKenna, now in Minimum Security. (WRAL November 19, 1998)(Inactive Link)

After being sentenced to death in the 1970's for murdering a Raleigh policeman, North Carolina's death penalty statute was ruled unconstitutional and Ed McKenna was released from death row and now serves his time in a minimum security prison. He is eligible for parole later this year. (inactive link)

"Former Death Row Inmate Given Second Life By Courts." (WRAL November 5, 1998)

James Woodson had his death sentence reversed by the U.S. Supreme Court in the famous case of Woodson v. North Carolina, striking down the "automatic" sentence under North Carolina law in 1976. Since his release, he has been seen more often in church than on the streets. (inactive link)

"Case That Revived Death Penalty Ended Ironically," by James Kimberly. (Houston Chronicle February 3, 2001)

It was the U.S. Supreme Court's 1976 ruling in Jurek v. Texas that affirmed the state's revised capital murder statute and cleared the way for Texas to become the nation's most prodigious executioner. But he was never executed. Instead, his conviction and sentence was later reversed on appeal. On retrial, a plea agreement was reached for life imprisonment.

Execution by Consent / Waiver of Appeals

"Give Me Death; Rise of ‘Volunteer’ Executions May Mean Death Isn’t Worst Punishment," by Bryan Robinson. (ABCNews January 7, 2003)

"Prisoner-Assisted Homicide -- More Volunteer Executions Loom." (Amnesty International USA 2007)

"Killing the Willing: “Volunteers,” Suicide and Competency," by John H. Blume. (Cornell Law School Rsearch Paper Series 2004)

"The Rush to the Death Chamber," by Robert Anthony Phillips. (Christian Science Monitor May 11, 2001)

"Some Prisoners Willingly Accept Their Executions," by Calvin Woodward. (AP/Amarillo.Com May 10, 2001)

"Volunteering to Die: How Do you Defend a Client," by Harriet Ryan. (CourtTV November 3, 1999)

"The Voluntary Death Penalty." (Amnesty International USA 2008)

"Michael Ross: Why a Killer Offers to Die," by Martha Elliott. (Connecticut Law Tribune, April 29, 1996)

"Using Execution as Public Suicide," by David Rickard. (Log Cabin Democrat, March 14, 1999)

Death Row Prisoner Waives Appeals, Changes Mind, Then Dies of Natural Causes. (Las Vegas Review, July 27, 1998)

"Condemned Prisoners Opting To Die," by Richard Willing. (USA Today, February 1, 1999)

Victim's Families

MurderVictims.Com.

A victims resource from "Justice For All," serving as a memorial to the many innocent victims of violent crime and a source for murder statistics, news items, discussion and information. Places the focus back on the victim instead of the perpetrator. Victim survivors can come here to find help, ask questions, give and get advice.

"The Death Penalty and the Victim’s Family," by Brandon Crunkilton and Jim Rogowski.

A PowerPoint presentation with summaries of Victim Impact Statements and Execution Witness statutes in various states and specific examples of victims. From Murder Victim's Familes for Human Rights.

"Do Executions Bring Justice? The Relatives of Murder Victims Disagree on the Death Penalty," by Renny Cushing. (NYTimes Sept 3, 2001)

Short anti-death penalty article from Renny Cushing, Executive Director, Murder Victims Families for Reconciliation.

"Victim Advocates Against the Death Penalty," by Andrew Rivas. (Family Life Respect Life 2006)

Anti-death penalty essay from Andrew Rivas, the executive director of the Texas Catholic Conference. "If these men and women can overcome human hatred and bring a gospel of mercy and love to the world, how can we claim a right to demand the death of a killer to “honor the victim” or to “win justice” for a victim’s family? To do so can dishonor the lives of all involved, making us complicit in perpetuating violence rather than ending it."

"Declaration of Life" Pledge in Opposition to Death Penalty.

Pledge of the "Declaration of Life" movement, started by Sister Camille D'Arienzo from Brooklyn during the 1994 New York governor's race, when Cuomo was defeated by pro-death penalty candidate George Pataki. (I do not want any person accused of killing me to face the death penalty).

"The Impact of Capital Punishment On Families of Defendants And Murder Victims’ Family Members," by Rachel King.

"While I was predisposed to oppose capital punishment before I began this project, seeing how the process made the families suffer turned my intellectual opposition into a calling to work to end the practice." (292 Judicature Volume 89, Number 5 March-April 2006)

Vengence and Closure for the Victims of Murder.

US News & World Reports 1997 Cover Story: "The Place for Vengeance." An examination of whether comfort and closure for the grieving families of murder victims is found by the execution of the murderer. (Reposted by ProDeathPenalty.Com)

"Death Penalty Foes, Victims Themselves, Plead Case," by Gary Rotstein. (Pittsburg Post August 10, 2000)

Short news article on the local appearance of anti-death penalty group "Journey of Hope," which includes family members of murder victims. (Written more like a press release for the organization than a news piece)

Murder Victim Families for Reconciliation.

Virginia support group for murder victims families, providing information about the needs and concerns of victims' families who are opposed to the death penalty in all situations.

"Does the Death Penalty Deliver Solace?" by Barbara A. Melville. (Skidmore College Scope Winter 2004)

"A small but intense national conference at Skidmore last fall, titled “The Impact of the Death Penalty on Victims’ Families,” sought answers in the diverse collective wisdom of some fifty people who daily wrestle with that question. Springing from the research and personal passions of David Karp and Beau Breslin, Skidmore sociology and government professors."

"From a Homicide Survivor," by moltar. (Daily Kos December 4, 2004)

Opinions that only a victim and survivors can tell - a blog entry from the brother of a homicide victim, murdered in 1995 in Florida.

Murder Victims' Families For Human Rights.

Murder Victims’ Families for Human Rights is an international, non-governmental organization of family members of victims of criminal murder, terrorist killings, state executions, extrajudicial assassinations, and “disappearances” working to oppose the death penalty from a human rights perspective.

"Murder Victims' Family Members Promote End to Capital Punishment," by Brian Phillips. (Univ Concinnati News Record 10/1/03)

News article on the appearance and presentation of Sam Reese Sheppard and George White. "Monday's presentation was part of a tour Sheppard, White and other speakers are conducting in coordination with "Journey of Hope... From Violence to Healing," an organization of murder victim family members. The group will spend two weeks in Ohio."

"A Father's Urge to Forgive," by Bud Welch. (Time June 16, 1997)

Short essay from father of Oklahoma City bombing victim, who has become outspoken critic of the death penalty.

"Do Not Kill Timothy McVeigh," by Bud Welch. (A Globe of Witnesses)

Short essay from father of Oklahoma City bombing victim, who has become outspoken critic of the death penalty.

"My Daughter Julie Marie was the Light of My Life," by Bud Welch. (March 2001)

Short anti-death penalty essay from father of 23 year old Oklahoma City bombing victim, Julie Marie Welch.

"Oklahoma City Bombing: Two Fathers and Forgiveness, by Sandy McPherson Carrubba. (St. Anthony Messenger April 2000)

"When the father of a bombing victim visited the father of a convicted bomber, an experience of peace and reconciliation resulted. The father from Oklahoma, Emmett E. “Bud” Welch, had buried his daughter, Julie-Marie, on a 1995 spring day. New York state resident William McVeigh is the father of the man sentenced to die for killing Julie-Marie and 167 others on April 19, 1995, in the Oklahoma City bombing of the Murrah Federal Building."

"Victims and the Death Penalty." (American Bar Association Focus, Spring 1997)

ABA Forum with John McAdams, James Acker, Leigh Bienen, and James Coleman, discussing the degree and emphasis that should be directed toward the victims as opposed to the defendants in the death penalty debate.

The Rights of Murder Victims to Witness Executions. (CourtTV)

Listing of the 13 states that currently (not up-to-date) allow victims' families to watch the execution of the murderer.

An Argument Against Allowing the Families of Murder Victims to View Executions

"An Argument Against Allowing the Families of Murder Victims to View Executions" by Michael Lawrence Goodwin (Journal of Family Law 1997)

Leaven of Forgiveness by Penn. (Murder Victims' Families for Reconciliation)

"Leaven of Forgiveness: Murder Victims' Families Stand Against the Death Penalty," an article on the organization Murder Victim Families for Reconciliation, spotlighting Bill Pelke (Indiana) and Marietta Jaeger (Michigan), both of whom had close family members murdered and testified against the death penalty, by Mary Sue Penn in Sojourners Online Magazine. (1995)

"Victims' Rights - and Wrongs in the McVeigh Trial." by Bruce Shapiro. (Salon Magazine, June 13, 1997)

Why the Prosecution did not let us hear from the relatives of the dead who did not want Timothy McVeigh to die?

"Working with the Victim's Survivors in Death Penalty Cases," by Russell Stetler. (NACDL, June 1999)

Primer for capital defense attorneys on contacting and winning over the families of the murder victim, provided by the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.

"The Right of Victims to be Heard." (National Victims Center)

A discussion of the right of victims and families to be heard at sentencing, and at parole and clemency hearings, with a listing of rights state by state.

Making Murder Victim Families a Party in New Jersey Capital Cases.

July 1, 1996 news article By Maureen Castellano on New Jersey Supreme Court opinion making families of murder victims parties in capital cases for the first time, and allowing victim-impact evidence with restrictions.

"My Sister's Candle."

From the brother of a murder victim, with anti-death penalty commentary and links, mainly concentrating on the issue in Florida.

The Shanda Shearer Website.

Website dedicated to the memory of 12 year old Shanda Shearer, who was raped, tortured and murdered in Madison, Indiana in 1992 at the hands of 4 teenage girls. While originally charged with the death penalty, all plead guilty and were sentenced to long prison terms.

The Cary Ann Medlin Website.

Website dedicated to the life and memory of 8 year old Cary Ann Medlin, who in 1979 was kidnapped, raped and murdered at the hands of Robert Glen Coe in Tennessee. 21 years later Coe became the first person executed in Tennessee in 40 years.

Throw Away the Keys: Justice for Mike.

Short pages devoted to a murder/mansluaghter victim, Michael Williams.

National Center for Victims of Crime: Resource Library.

National organization devoted to victim asistance; Reports on Victim Impact statements, Crime Victims Compensation; Victim-Offender Reconciliation; Restorative Justice; Talk show Guidelines.

Victim Law: Your Choice for Crime Victim Rights and Protections.

The Justice System Explained; Tutorial; About Victim Rights; Glossary; Links to Victim Resources.

"Apologies and Forgiveness," by Betty Wolfenden from Restitution, Inc.

Specific and apparently sincere apologies offered by North Carolina Death Row inmate Bland Hill Jr., in order to show that he is a "changed person."

Capital Defense Handbook for Defendants and their Families," by Claudia Whitman and Lawson Strickland. (2005)

"This handbook provides fundamental information about how courts operate, trial procedures, general rules concerning capital murder cases, and the appeals process. It does not cover every rule or procedure concerning capital cases; however it is a place to start. The information provided will prepare you for what to expect." A jooint project of Grassroots Investigation Project (GRIP), Equal Justice Usa / Quixote Center, and the National Death Row Assistance Network of Cure (NDRAN).

Witnesses to the Execution

"Televising Executions: Overview of the Arguments," by Paul Leighton. (Paul's Justice Page)

Excellent discussion of the issue with links to numerous articles and commentary from Dr. Paul Leighton, Assistant Professor in the Dept of Sociology, Anthropology & Criminology at Eastern Michigan University. includes "Fear and Loathing in an Age of Show Business: Reflections on Televised Executions," an excerpt from the book Criminal Justice Ethics, Paul Leighton & Jeffrey Reiman, Editors. (2000)

"Crime Victims as Witnesses to an Execution: A National Protocol." (1999)

A Report of First National Symposium on Crime Victims as Witnesses to an Execution, held on July 27, 1998, in Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania, Mary Achilles, Symposium Organizer and Editor. Published by the Corrections Committee of the National Organization for Victim Assistance.

"Forget the Conventions, Just Televise the Executions," by Matthew Miller. (Minneapolis Star June 28, 2000)

Short opinion article, approving of televised executions in order to show

"Witness to an Execution." (PBS Online News Hour April 12, 2001)

Transcript, with video, of interview with Attorney General John Ashcroft discussing the ability of Oklahoma City Bombing victim's families to witness the upcoming execution of Timothy McVeigh.

Complete Audio of the Georgia Execution Tapes, from SoundPortraits.Org.

Complete set of indexed audio recordings of 18 Georgia executions from 1983-1996. Recorded by the Georgia Department of Corrections and totaling more than 8 hours of audio.

State by State policies regarding victim survivors witnessing executions. (ProDeathPenalty.Com)

Rules and policies of each state allowing families of murder victims to winess the execution of murderer.

The Rights of Murder Victims to Witness Executions. (CourtTV)

Listing of the 13 states that currently allow victims' families to watch the execution of the murderer. (Out of date)

An Argument Against Allowing the Families of Murder Victims to View Executions.

"An Argument Against Allowing the Families of Murder Victims to View Executions" by Michael Lawrence Goodwin (Journal of Family Law 1997)

Guatemala Broadcasts Execution of Two Kidnappers. (Fight the Death Penalty in the USA)

AP article on the broadcast of lethal injection executions in Guatemala of two convicted kidnappers on June 30, 2000; Article on the proposed televised execution of Timothy McVeigh.

"Capital Punishment on Trial," by Charles Elmore. (Salon Magazine, September 8, 1999)

Article from reporter who witnessed Florida electric chair execution, concluding that the method is inhumane.

"KQED Sues To Videotape Capital Punishment," by Michael Schwarz. (Journalism Ethics, March 1991)

Short article/news release by executive producer and director of Current Affairs for KQED-TV in San Francisco, claiming that journalists have a right and obligation to serve as the public's witness.

"Court to Weigh McVeigh Execution Webcast," by Lisa M Bowman. (CNET News April 18, 2001)

"Numerous TV stations and even talk show host Phil Donahue have sued to record proceedings in the death chambers--for a live or later broadcast--but none so far has succeeded."

"Who Has the Right to Watch McVeigh Die," by Jessica Reaves. (Time.Com April 25, 2001)

Short news article discussing the broadcasting, public or closed-circuit, of McVeigh's upcoming execution.

"We Believe in Death Penalty, But Shrink From Watching," by George J. Bryjak. (Catholic Reporter May 18, 2001)

Editorial decrying that Americans favor the death penalty, but strongly oppose allowing executions to be made public by television or broadcast, and ridiculing those who believe the death penalty is a deterrent, since televised executions would enhance the deterrence.

"Witnessing Execution a Matter of Duty, Choice," by Candace Rondeaux. (Washington Post December 10, 2006)

Long news article detailing the witness requirements for executions under Virginia Law and the personal experiences of those that do.

"The Last Public Execution in America," a book by Perry T. Ryan. (1992)

Complete text of 26 chapter book written about the execution of Rainey Bethea on August 14, 1936, hanged in Owensboro, Kentucky, before a crowd of 20,000. The public outrage which followed resulted in the complete abolition of public executions in the United States. (with photo)

"Mike Graczyk: Witness to the Execution." (Urban Grounds July 3, 2007)

"Mike Graczyk, the correspondent in charge of the Houston bureau of the Associated Press, has been listed on the Media Witness list for 277 death row executions in the state of Texas."

"Witness to an Execution," by Rick Halperin. (1998)

First hand account of witnessing the execution of Texas Death Row inmate Frank McFarland on April 29, 1998.

"Witness to an Execution," a pro-death penalty perspective by Richard W. Byrne. (December 9, 1999)

First hand account from a witness to the 1999 execution of Gary Graham in Texas.

"Witness to an Execution," by Bryan Rooney. (December 13, 2005)

First hand account from a witness to the 2005 California execution of Crips co-founder Tookie Williams.

"Making the Decision to Winess or Not to Witness an Execution." (Pennsylvania Office of the Victim Advocate)

"The decision to witness or not to witness an execution is a very personal choice. OVA staff are available to provide with any assistance possible. If you choose to witness, you have the right to decide not to witness up until the moment of entering the death chamber viewing area."

"States Go Hunting for Execution Witnesses." (Jackson Sun)

"A grim and unanticipated problem is emerging from America's sharp rise in executions: It's getting harder to find enough civilians to act as witnesses."

"Execution Day February 3rd, 1998." (The Death Penalty Perspective)

What it was like to be a witness at the execution. First hand account of witnessing the execution of Texas Death Row inmate Karla Faye Tucker on February 3, 1998.

"Oklahoma City Victims Mixed on T.V. Execution." (CBSNews February 11, 2001)

Survivors and relatives of those who died in the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing had varied reactions to a suggestion by the convicted bomber that his execution be televised nationally.

"Witness to Execution: Prison Director Charles McAtee Recalls Killers," by Michael Bruntz." (Lawrence Journal April 5, 2005 )

Profile of Charles McAtee, director of the Kansas state penal institutions for 40 years, who supervised the 1965 executions of Richard Eugene Hickock and Perry Edward Smith, made notorious by the book, "In Cold Blood."

"Witness to an Execution: I Watched James Elledge Die in Walla Walla," by Michael Hood. Seattle Weekly September 5, 2001)

First hand account of the 2001 execution of murderer James Elledge in Washington.

"Procedure 769: Witnesses to an Execution," A Film by Jaap van Howijk. (1995)

"Procedure 769 looks at the [execution] event through the eyes of the witnesses. As Robert Alton Harris' brother Randall; Sharron Mankins, mother of one of Harris' victims; Daniel Vasquez, the warden at San Quentin; psychologist Craig Haney; reporter Wade Douglas and six others share their meticulous accounts

"Witness to the Execution," by P.T. Staff. (Psychology Today May/June 1995)

Reports on a study by Stanford University researchers who polled journalists who had witnessed a California state execution in 1992. "One hundred fifty journalists entered a California lottery in 1992, not forcash, but for front-row seats to the state's first execution since 1976. Eighteen won, but the thrill of victory was more than they bargained for. Witnessing the gas-chamber death of murderer Robert Alton Harris, from 15 to 20 feet away, was as traumatic as if they themselves had been under enemy fire, say Stanford University researchers."

"150,000 Witness North Korea Execution." (Fox News November 27, 2007)

A North Korean factory chief accused of making international phone calls was executed by a firing squad in a stadium before 150,000 spectators, a South Korean aid group reported. Six people were crushed to death and 34 others injured in an apparent stampede as they left the stadium, the aid group said. Most North Koreans are banned from communicating with the outside world, part of the regime's authoritarian policies.

McVeigh / Nichols - Oklahoma City Bombing

"Oklahoma City Bombing Trials." (CNN.Com Special Report)

The Bombing; The Courtroom Cast; The McVeigh Trial; The Nichols Trial; Trial Transcripts; Video Almanac of the 1995 Bombing; Links;

"After Oklahoma City, a Special Report." (PBS Online News Hour 2001)

Links to articles and video on the Oklahoma City bombing, and the McVeigh trial and execution.

Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum.

The Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum was created to honor those who were killed, those who survived and those changed forever by the 1995 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City. The Memorial and Museum are dedicated to educating visitors about the impact of violence, informing about events surrounding the bombing, and inspiring hope and healing through lessons learned by those affected.

"Oklahoma City Bombing," from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Brief online encyclopedia entry.

Sentencing Hearing for Timothy McVeigh: Closing Arguments of the Prosecution. (1997)

Transcript of the Government's Closing Argument asking for the death penalty in the McVeigh trial, delivered by Beth Wilkinson on June 12, 1997. (From "A Call For Reckoning: Religion and the Death Penalty" Conference held January 25, 2002.)

Trial of Timothy McVeigh: Opening Statements and Closing Arguments. (1997)

Transcript of the Government's Closing Argument asking for conviction in the McVeigh trial, delivered by Larry D. Mackey on May 29, 1997. Also, Opening statements from the Government and the Defense, as well as transcripts of the testimony of key witnesses.

Court Transcript of Jury Verdict for a Death Sentence Returned Against Timothy McVeigh. (June 13, 1997)

Official jury verdict reciting the special findings of aggravating and mitigating circumstances in the case of United States of America v. Timothy James McVeigh in Criminal Action No. 96-CR-68 in the United States District Court for the District of Colorado, in Denver, Colorado on June 13, 1997.

"Victims' Rights - and Wrongs in the McVeigh Trial." by Bruce Shapiro. (Salon Magazine, June 13, 1997)

Why the Prosecution did not let us hear from the relatives of the dead who did not want Timothy McVeigh to die?

"Victims of the Murrah Building Bombing."

Names, ages, and hometown of McVeigh's 168 murder victims.

Yahoo Full Coverage News: McVeigh Execution / Oklahoma City Bombing.

Links to news articles, magazine articles, audio/video, editorials and court documents from major media outlets on the execution of Timothy McVeigh and the Oklahoma City Bombing.

McVeigh: Sentenced to Die (PBS Online, June 13, 1997)

"Interview With Timothy McVeigh," by Patrick Cole. (Time.Com March 30, 1996)

"Martyr Without A Cause: The Sad, Destructive & Wasted Life Of Timothy McVeigh," by Jane Wanklin.

The McVeigh Execution: Articles, Documents, and Video from CNN.Com.

The Oklahoma City Bombing Case: The Trial of Timothy McVeigh. (CourtTV, 1998)

Execution of an American Terrorist. (CourtTV)

Oklahoma City Bombing Trial Report. (WashingtonPost.Com)

"Nichols Request to Disqualify Entire DA's Office Denied." (CBSNews/AP February 13, 2001)

"The McVeigh Effect: Eclipsing the Truth About Federal Death Row," by Earl Ofari Hutchinson. (Salon.Com May 9, 2001)

"Where Are the Death Penalty Critics Today? by Walter Berns. (Wall Street Journal June 11, 2001)

"McVeigh to Macbeth: The Difference Between Revenge, Retribution, and Right." (Reason Online July 2001)

"McVeigh Proves Why We Need a Moratorium," by Tom Lowenstein. (American Prospect May 15, 2001)

U.S.A. v. McVeigh: June 7, 2001 Order Denying Final Stay of Execution. (About.Com)

U.S.A. v. McVeigh: "Notice of Intent to Forego Further Appeals," from The Smoking Gun. (2001)

Timothy McVeigh Vigo County Death Certificate, from The Smoking Gun. (2001)

"No Autopsy" Agreement between McVeigh and Vigo County Coroner, from The Smoking Gun. (2001)

"A Father's Urge to Forgive," by Bud Welch. (Time June 16, 1997)

"My Daughter Julie Marie Was the Light of My Life," by Bud Welch.

"Do Not Kill Timothy McVeigh," by Bud Welch. (A Globe of Witnesses)

"Oklahoma City Bombing: Two Fathers and Forgiveness, by Sandy McPherson Carrubba. (St. Anthony Messenger April 2000)

"Covering Oklahoma City: A Look Back," by Janet S. Weaver. (Poynter Online April 16, 2004)

Death Row Inmate Homepages / Memorials (485)

Death Row Prisoner Web Pages. 350+ (Canadian Coalition Against the Death Penalty)

Death Row Prisoner Web Pages. 95+ (Magazine for the Wrongly Convicted)

Death Row Prisoner Web Pages. 50+ (SMU)

Death Row Prisoner Web Pages. 5+ (University of Alaska Anchorage)

Death Row Prisoner Web Pages. 50+ (Yahoo)

Death Row Prisoner Web Pages. 13+ (The Lamp of Hope Project)

Death Row Prisoner Web Pages. 14+ (Repreive.org.uk)

Death Row Prisoner Web Pages. 240+ (DeathRow-USA)

Death Row Prisoner Web Pages. 32+ (Google)

Scared Straight, Death Row. (The Wild Side)

"The Condemned and Their Websites," by Julia Sheeres. (Wired News June 12, 2001)

Prisoners: Pose Questions to and Get Answers from Death Row Inmates and Lifers. (Dark Sorrow)

State Departments of Correction Homepages. (DPIC))

State Departments of Correction Homepages. (Institute for Prison Ministries)

State Departments of Correction Homepages. (The Corrections Connection)

Cyberspace Inmates: Rehabilitation Through Correspondence. (33+)

Inmate Classified. (200+ Penpals, Prison Links, DOC Web Pages)

"The Management of Death-Sentenced Inmates," by George Lombardi, Richard D. Sluder, and Donald Wallace. (1996)

Death Row Inmate Webring. (RingSurf)

Project Damocles. (Death Row Pen-Pals)

"Death-Row Inmates Don't Need Pity, Fame," by Jacquielynn Floyd. (Dallas Morning News April 25, 2008)

Alabama: Nicholas Acklin

Alabama: Randy Turpin Bell

Alabama: T. Scott Cothren

Alabama: Timothy Charles Davis

Alabama: Trace Duncan

Alabama: Carey Grayson

Alabama: Timothy Charles Davis

Alabama: Gary Drinkard

Alabama: Artez Hammonds

Alabama: Gary Hart

Alabama: James Hubbard

Alabama: James Johnson

Alabama: Billy Kuenzel

Alabama: Billy Kuenzel

Alabama: Corey Maples

Alabama: Earl McGahee Sr.

Alabama: Wes Quick

Alabama: William Dave Scott

Alabama: George Sibley & Linda Lyon

Alabama: Michael Thompson

Alabama: Leroy White

Alabama: Luther Williams

Alabama: Leroy White

Alabama: Harvey Windsor

Alabama: Freddie Lee Wright

Arizona: Frank Anderson

Arizona: Michael Apelt

Arizona: Michael Apelt

Arizona: Rudi Apelt

Arizona: Frank Atwood

Arizona: Donald Beaty

Arizona: Scott Clabourne

Arizona: Robert Comer

Arizona: Michael Correll

Arizona: Gregory Dickens

Arizona: Ernest Valencia Gonzales

Arizona: Beau Greene (banned)

Arizona: James Harrod

Arizona: Mike Hedlund

Arizona: Christopher Huertsel

Arizona: David Hyde

Arizona: Danny Lee Jones

Arizona: Robert Glen Jones

Arizona: George Kayer

Arizona: Kenneth Laird

Arizona: Chad Lee

Arizona: Ernesto Martinez

Arizona: Ramon Martinez Villareal

Arizona: Efren Medina

Arizona: Angel Medrano

Arizona: Debra Jean Milke

Arizona: Debra Jean Milke

Arizona: Robert Moorman

Arizona: Robert Murray

Arizona: Roger Murray III

Arizona: Scott Nordstrom

Arizona: Kajornsak Prasertphong

Arizona: Lemuel Prion

Arizona: Charles Reinhardt

Arizona: Richard Rossi

Arizona: Jose Amaya Ruiz

Arizona: Sean Running Eagle

Arizona: John & Kara Sansing

Arizona: Kyle Sharp

Arizona: Martin Raul Soto-Fong

Arizona: Anthony Spears

Arizona: Clinton Spencer

Arizona: Warren Summerlin

Arizona: Teddy Washington

Arkansas: Damien Echols

California: Steven Ainsworth

California: James Anderson

California: Andre Alexander

California: Rosie Alfaro

California: Chay' Im Ben-Sholom / Marshall

California: Dennis Mayfield Brewer

California: John G. Brown

California: Andre Burton

California: Tracy Cain

California: Dean Carter "Dead Man Talkin'"

California: Steve Champion

California: Kenneth Clair

California: William Clark

California: H. J. Coddington

California: Scott Collins

California: Kevin Cooper

California: Kevin Cooper

California: Glenn Cornwell

California: Armenia Levi Cudjo Jr.

California: Al Cunningham

California: Richard Allen Davis

California: Keith Doolin

California: Robert Edwards

California: Daniel Frederickson

California: Jerry Frye

California: Raymond Gurule

California: Cedric Harrison

California: James Heard

California: Kionjozi Jones

California: Randy Kraft

California: Mustafa Lancaster

California: Darrell Lomax

California: James Marlow

California: Jarvis Jay Masters

California: Franklin Lynch

California: Jarvis Jay Masters

California: Charles Ng

California: Scott Peterson

California: Scott Peterson

California: James Robinson

California: Gregory Tate

California: Tom Thompson

California: Stanley Tookie Williams

California: Tookie's Corner

California: Terry Johnson

California: Todd Joseph Rizzo

California: Todd Joseph Rizzo

California: Christopher Sattlewhite

California: Ron Seaton

California: Gregory Tate

California: Richard Tully

California: Melvin Turner

California: Ward Weaver

California: Andreau G. Wilson

Connecticut: Michael Ross

Delaware: Jack Outten

Federal: Marvin Gabrion

Federal: Juan Raul Garza

Federal: David Paul Hammer (Death Row Speaks)

Federal: David Paul Hammer

Florida: Pressley Alston

Florida: Guillermo Arbelaez

Florida: Lancelot Armstrong

Florida: Curtis Beasley Sr.

Florida: Loran Cole

Florida: Jimmy Coney

Florida: Jason Derrick

Florida: James Duckett

Florida: William Elledge

Florida: Crosley Green

Florida: Paul Hill

Florida: Rudolph Holton

Florida: Rudolph Holton

Florida: Rudolph Holton

Florida: Emmanuel Johnson

Florida: Amos King

Florida: Anthony LaMarca

Florida: Virginia Larzelere

Florida: Virginia Larzelere

Florida: Krishna Maharaj

Florida: Juan Melendez

Florida: Troy Merck

Florida: Thomas Moore

Florida: Julio Mora

Florida: Anthony Mungin

Florida: Joshua Nelson

Florida: Faunce Pearce

Florida: Grover "Bear" Reed

Florida: Michayl Rivera

Florida: Timothy Robinson

Florida: Milo Rose

Florida: Paul Scott

Florida: Paul Scott

Florida: Richard Shere

Florida: Richard Shere

Florida: Frank Elijah Smith

Florida: Joseph Spaziano

Florida: Gerald E. Stano

Florida: William Thompson

Florida: Terence Valentine

Florida: Jeffrey Weaver

Georgia: Jack Alderman

Georgia: Kenneth Bright

Georgia: Robert Butts

Georgia: Kelly Gissendaner

Georgia: Brandon Astor Jones

Georgia: James Ringo McDaniel

Georgia: William Mark Mize

Georgia: Frederick Whatley

Idaho: Mark Lankford

Idaho: Mark Lankford

Idaho: Mark Lankford

Illinois: Donnie Bull

Illinois: Ron Burt

Illinois: Robert Carlos Casillas

Illinois: Reginald Chapman

Illinois: Tony Dameron

Illinois: Dennis Emerson

Illinois: Tony Enis

Illinois: Mario Flores

Illinois: David Harris

Illinois: Demetrius Henderson

Illinois: Stanley Howard

Illinois: William Jones

Illinois: Aldwin McNeal

Illinois: Aldwin McNeal

Illinois: Corey Moore

Illinois: Ed Moore

Illinois: Patrick Page

Illinois: Aaron Patterson

Illinois: Darrin Shatner

Illinois: Sherrell Towns

Illinois: Howard Wiley

Illinois: Elton Williams

Illinois: Bobby O. Williams

Illinois: Martin Wooley

Indiana: Rufus Averhart (Zolo Agona Azania)

Indiana: Rufus Averhart (Zolo Agona Azania)

Indiana: Rufus Averhart (Zolo Agona Azania)

Indiana: Rufus Averhart (Zolo Agona Azania)

Indiana: Keith Canaan

Indiana: Perry S. Miller

Indiana: Michael Dean Overstreet

Indiana: Christopher Peterson (Obadyah Ben-Yisrayl)

Indiana: Christopher Peterson (Obadyah Ben-Yisrayl)

Indiana: Christopher Peterson (Obadyah Ben-Yisrayl)

Indiana: Gregory Rouster (Gamba Mateen Rastafari)

Indiana: Gregory Rouster (Gamba Mateen Rastafari)

Indiana: Benny Saylor

Indiana: Benny Saylor

Kentucky: The State-Sponsored Killing of Harold McQueen

Kentucky: Larry Osborne

Kentucky: Kevin Stanford

Kentucky: Kevin Stanford

Louisiana: Elzie Ball

Louisiana: Eugene Broxton

Louisiana: Glen Seals

Louisiana: Glen Seals

Louisiana: John Thompson

Louisiana: John Wille

Mississippi: Anthony Joe Doss

Mississippi: William Holly

Mississippi: Howard Neal

Missouri: Brian Kinder Bey

Missouri: William Ted Boliek

Missouri: James W. Chambers

Missouri: Cecil Clayton

Missouri: Ralph Davis

Missouri: Carman Deck

Missouri: Carman Deck

Missouri: Ernest Johnson

Missouri: William Robert Jones

Missouri: Bruce Kilgore

Missouri: Brian Kinder

Missouri: David Leisure

Missouri: Michael Owsley

Missouri: Steven Parkus

Missouri: Roy Ramsey

Missouri: Roy Roberts

Missouri: Steven Parkus

Missouri: Lloyd Schlup

Missouri: Robert Andrew Shafer

Missouri: Christopher Simmons

Missouri: Dennis Skillcorn

Missouri: Joseph Whitfield

Missouri: Jesse Lee Wise

Missouri: Mose Young

Montana: Daniel Johnson

Nevada: Jimmy Kirksey

Nevada: William Bryon Leonard

Nevada: Kirstin Lobato

Nevada: Kirstin Lobato

Nevada: Tracy Petrocelli

Nevada: Robert Marshall

New Mexico: Ron Keine

North Carolina: David Junior Brown

North Carolina: Ronald Frye

North Carolina: Michael Fullwood

North Carolina: Terrance Taylor

Ohio: Anthony Apanovich

Ohio: Anthony Apanovich

Ohio: Johnny William Byrd

Ohio: John Grant Gallard

Ohio: Brett Hartmann

Ohio: W. Keith Henness

Ohio: William Montgomery

Ohio: Donald Duke Palmer

Ohio: Kenny Richey

Ohio: Kenny Richey

Ohio: Kenny Richey

Ohio: Kenny Richey

Oklahoma: Wanda Jean Allen

Oklahoma: Randall Eugene Cannon

Oklahoma: Robert Eagle Clayton

Oklahoma: Tyrone Peter Darks

Oklahoma: Rocky Dodd

Oklahoma: Jessie James Cummings

Oklahoma: Don Hawkins

Oklahoma: Loyd Lafevers

Oklahoma: Scotty Moore

Oklahoma: Paris Powell

Oklahoma: Dan Juan Revilla

Oklahoma: Walanzo Shabaka Robinson

Oklahoma: Friends of Sean Sellers

Oklahoma: Dion Smallwood

Oregon: David Simonsen

Pennsylvania: Ronald Gibson

Pennsylvania: Jerard Bradley

Pennsylvania: Free Mumia Abu-Jamal

Pennsylvania: Mumia Abu-Jamal

Pennsylvania: Mumia Trial and Appeals Transcripts)

Pennsylvania: Justice 4 Police Officer Daniel Faulkner (Victim of Mumia Abu Jamal)

Pennsylvania: Frank Chester

Pennsylvania: Jermont Cox

Pennsylvania: Jermont Cox

Pennsylvania: Jimmy Dennis

Pennsylvania: Robert Fisher

Pennsylvania: Anthony Fletcher

Pennsylvania: Roderick Johnson

Pennsylvania: Matthew Kemp Sr.

Pennsylvania: Thomas H. Kimbell

Pennsylvania: Abdurrahman Sami Ali

Pennsylvania: Reginald Sinclair Lewis

Pennsylvania: Reginald Sinclair Lewis

Pennsylvania: Sahara Rollins

Pennsylvania: Ralph Stokes

Pennsylvania: Ralph Stokes

Pennsylvania: Ralph Stokes

Pennsylvania: Melvin Troy

Pennsylvania: Harold Wilson

Pennsylvania: Nicholas Yarris

Pennsylvania: Nicholas Yarris

South Carolina: Richard Charles Johnson

South Carolina: James Earl Reed

Tennessee: James Lee Jones (Abu-Ali)

Tennessee: Philip Workman

Tennessee: Philip Workman

Texas: John Wade Adams

Texas: John Alba

Texas: Franklin Alix

Texas: James Allridge

Texas: Odell Barnes, Jr.

Texas: Odell Barnes, Jr.

Texas: Odell Barnes, Jr.

Texas: Mauro Barraza

Texas: James Beathard (Gabi Uhl)

Texas: Napoleon Beazley

Texas: Allen Bridgers

Texas: Allen Bridgers

Texas: Carl Brooks

Texas: Eugene Broxton

Texas: Eugene Broxton

Texas: Clifford Boggess (Gabi Uhl)

Texas: Calvin Burdine

Texas: Anibal Canales

Texas: Domingo Cantu

Texas: Edward Capetillo

Texas: David Lynn Carpenter

Texas: Karl Chamberlain

Texas: Troy Clark

Texas: Troy Clark

Texas: Paul Colella

Texas: Christopher Coleman

Texas: Christopher Coleman

Texas: Christopher Coleman

Texas: George Cordova

Texas: Robert Coulson

Texas: Robert Coulson

Texas: Brian E. Davis

Texas: Brian E. Davis

Texas: Brian E. Davis

Texas: John Curtis Dewberry

Texas: John Curtis Dewberry

Texas: Leon Dorsey

Texas: Martin A. Draughon

Texas: Martin A. Draughon

Texas: Richard Drinkard

Texas: Emile Duhamel

Texas: Henry Dunn

Texas: Gary Etheridge

Texas: Cleve W. Foster

Texas: Kenneth Foster

Texas: Robert Fratta

Texas: Anthony Graves

Texas: Norman Jerry Green

Texas: Anthony Graves

Texas: Anthony Graves

Texas: Anthony Graves

Texas: Randolph Greer

Texas: Randy Halperin

Texas: Gene Hathorn

Texas: Cathy Henderson

Texas: David Lee Herman

Texas: Bobby Ray Hopkins

Texas: Ron Howard

Texas: Preston Hughes III

Texas: Derrick Jackson

Texas: Derrick Jackson

Texas: Jimmy Jackson

Texas: Jimmy Jackson

Texas: Lonnie Johnson

Texas: Jeremy Bryan Jones

Texas: Alvin Kelly

Texas: John William King

Texas: Rickey Lynn Lewis

Texas: Rickey Lynn Lewis

Texas: Rickey Lynn Lewis

Texas: Kim Lim & Anibal Rousseau

Texas: Alexander Nartinez

Texas: Miguel Angel Martinez

Texas: Miguel Angel Martinez

Texas: Miguel Angel Martinez

Texas: Alexander Rey Martinez

Texas: Farley C. Matchett

Texas: Farley C. Matchett

Texas: Michael L. McBrides

Texas: James McWilliams

Texas: Tont Medina

Texas: Eric Lynn Moore

Texas: Michael Patrick Moore

Texas: Charles Nealy

Texas: Charles Nealy

Texas: Craig Ogan

Texas: Scott Panetti

Texas: Scott Panetti

Texas: Kenny Parr

Texas: John Paul Penry

Texas: John Paul Penry

Texas: John Paul Penry

Texas: Pam Perillo

Texas: Anthony Pierce

Texas: Roy Lee Pippin

Texas: Charles Raby

Texas: Cedric Lamont Ransom

Texas: Damon Jerome Richardson

Texas: Granville Riddle

Texas: Oswaldo Soriano Regaldo

Texas: Granville Riddle

Texas: Granville Riddle

Texas: Larry Keith Robison

Texas: Anibal Rousseau & Kim Lim

Texas: Darlie Routier

Texas: Darlie Routier

Texas: James Session

Texas: Willie Shannon

Texas: Hank Skinner

Texas: Hank Skinner

Texas: Hank Skinner

Texas: Paul Slater

Texas: Max Soffar

Texas: Max Soffar

Texas: Pedro Sosa

Texas: Gregory Summers

Texas: Larry Swearingen

Texas: Edgar Tamayo

Texas: Michael Toney

Texas: Son Tran

Texas: Son Tran

Texas: Karla Faye Tucker

Texas: Karla Faye Tucker

Texas: Karla Faye Tucker

Texas: Manuel Vasquez

Texas: Kevin M. Watts

Texas: Bobby West

Texas: Daryl Wheatfall

Texas: Garcia Glenn White

Texas: Bruce Williams

Texas: Nanon Williams

Texas: Nanon Williams

Texas: Gregory Edward Wright

Texas: Gregory Edward Wright

Virginia: Derek Rocco Barnabei

Virginia: Earl Bramblett

Virginia: Kenny Wilson

Karla Faye Tucker

Wikipedia: Karla Faye Tucker.

Online encyclopedia entry.

"Karla Faye Tucker: Texas' Controversial Murderess," by Joseph Geringer. (The Crime Library)

Five Chapter series on Karla Faye Tucker from The Crime Library - Notorious Murders / Women Who Kill. (1. Pick Axe, 2. Early Days, Dark Days, 3. Legal Tactics, Back and Forth, 4. Heaven in Spite of Hell, 5. An Eye for an Eye)

A Memorial to Deborah Ruth Thornton.

A Memorial to Deborah Ruth Thornton, one of the persons murdered by Karla Faye Tucker on June 13, 1983. Posted by her husband, Richard A. Thornton on MurderVictims.Com

"Karla Faye Tucker: Why So Many Want to Save Her, " by S.C. Gwynne Austin. (Time.Com, January 19, 1998)

Karla Faye Tucker is the nicest woman on Death Row. While she is removed from the person who committed her horrible crime, she most certainly will be the one to die for it.

Karla Faye Tucker Challenges Texas Clemency Procedures. (CNN, January 20, 1998)

CNN Interactive News Report on the constitutional challenge by Karla Faye Tucker to the Texas Clemency procedures on the eve of her execution.

Larry King Live: Interview with Karla Faye Tucker (CNN January 14, 1998)

Transcript of Larry King Live interview of Karla Faye Tucker on January 14, 1998, shortly before her execution in Texas.

CNN News: Karla Faye Tucker (February 3, 1998)

CNN Interactive News Reports: Karla Faye Tucker's final statement; Texas Gov. Bush's statement on Karla Faye Tucker; International Appeals to Spare Tucker; Governor, high court deny reprieves; Tucker admitted role in double murder; Relatives of Tucker, victim react; Related video, news stories, links.

"Empathy - Karla Tucker and George Bush." (Ethical Canons and Scientific Inquiry)

Short article describing the decision-making process of George Bush denying clemency to Karla Tucker.

Texas v. Karla Faye Tucker, Habeas Corpus. (CourtTV)

Article and full text of 150 page Writ of Habeas Corpus filed on behalf of Karla Faye Tucker.

Victim's Brother Says "Death Penalty Solves Few Problems. (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America January 29, 1999)

Short news article - Ron Carlson's sister, Deborah, was one of two people brutally murdered by Karla Faye Tucker and an accomplice. Carlson, a member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), later witnessed the execution of her murderer, and told a story of forgiveness to a national symposium on criminal justice in Baltimore January 22-24, 1999.

A Memorial to Karla Faye Tucker Brown

Post-Execution memorial tribute to Karla Faye Tucker, with news articles, letters, and opinions.

BBC News Special Report: Karla Faye Tucker.

Portrait of a Repentant Killer; A Crime that Shocked America; Governor Faces Death Row Dilemma; Tucker Speaks Out on Prime Time TV.

"Clock Ticks for Death Row Woman, Karla Faye Tucker." (BBCNews February 2, 1998)

Special report on the fate of Karla Faye Tucker, shortly before her execution.

New York Times: Karla Faye Tucker.

News about Karla Faye Tucker, including commentary and archival articles published in The New York Times 1992-2005.

Texas: Karla Faye Tucker Homepage.

Texas: Karla Faye Tucker Homepage.

Texas: Karla Faye Tucker Homepage.

Mumia Abu-Jamal

Wikipedia: Mumia Abu Jamal.

Online encyclopedia entry.

Justice 4 Police Officer Daniel Faulkner (Victim of Mumia Abu Jamal)

Website dedicated to the Philadelphia Police Officer murdered by Mumia Abu Jamal, the prolific "journalist" convicted and sentenced to death in 1982, who has mounted an aggressive web campaign of disinformation. Facts from the trial and appeal are provided to dispel myths created by that campaign.

The Danny Faulkner Story. (Fraternal Order of Police)

Links and FOP Press Releases on the murder of Officer Daniel Faulkner.

Educators for Mumia Abu Jamal.

WE EDUCATORS ARE UNITED IN SAYING NO TO JAMAL’S EXECUTION. We invite you to study this web site, explore the case and the issues – for Mumia’s sake and that of so many others on U.S. death row.

Free Mumia Abu-Jamal Coalition (NYC)

Links to Latest News, Legal Updates, Mumia's Columns. Also serving as the homepage for the International Concerned Family and Friends of Mumia Abu-Jamal.

Mumia Abu-Jamal's Freedom Journal

Updating the Campaign to Free Mumia: Activity Reports; Free Mumia News; Intn'l Solidarity; Legal Updates; Mumia's Columns.

Partisan Defense Committee: Mumia Abu Jamal.

"Time is running short. We must mobilize now to revive and expand the movement to make Mumia’s fight once again a rallying cry against racist “legal lynching,” against black oppression, against government repression."

The Philadelphia Enquirer: Mumia Abu Jamal.

Links to Philadelphia Enquirer news articles on Mumia Abu Jamal from 1981 to 1998.

Mumia Abu-Jamal's Radio Broadcasts. (Prison Radio)

Archived files of Mumia Abu Jamal's essays composed and read from his prison cell.

"Paris Street for Mumia Abu-Jamal Sparks Trans-Atlantic Row," by Stefan Simons. (June 29, 2006)

News article from Spiegel Online International. "A street outside Paris is causing an uproar across the Atlantic in Washington. It's named after controversial US death row inmate Mumia Abu-Jamal."

Pennsylvania: Mumia Trial and Appeals Transcripts.

"Mumia: Overturning of Death Sentence Falls Short of Full Justice." (Amnesty International December 19, 2001)

"Celebrity Inmate Mumia Deserves New Sentencing Hearing." (Fox News March 27, 2008)

"All Things Censored," by Mumia Abu-Jamal. (Seven Stories Press May 2000)

"What's Mumia Got to Do With It? by Marc Cooper. (MotherJones Reality Check February 9, 2000)

Mumia Abu-Jamal Death Row Homepage (Canadian Coalition Against the Death Penalty)

"Mumia's Millions," by Joan Walsh. (Salon Magazine, July 10, 1999)

"Court Grants Convicted Cop Killer Mumia New Hearing," by Kathy Matheson. (ABCNews March 27, 2008)