In the coming months, the U.S. Supreme Court will decide whether to take up a challenge to the death penalty in Arizona. If the justices agree to hear the case, the court’s decision could also affect the California death penalty law. And that could spare the lives of 746 prisoners on California’s death row, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. The pending case, Hidalgo v. Arizona, challenges the new Arizona death penalty law, which makes virtually every first-degree murder subject to potential capital charges. With 343 homicides in … [Read more...] about US Supreme Court Death Row case Hidalgo v. Arizona Arizona death penalty law
Death Penalty
Arizona inmates allowed more privileges
Many of Arizona’s death-row inmates are no longer spending their days in solitary confinement, reported The Associated Press (AP). The Arizona Department of Corrections moved 93 of its 120 death-row inmates to a Florence, Arizona, prison, where they can be outside and socialize with other death-row inmates in a common area, instead of being isolated in their 9½-by-10-foot cells. In addition, their cells open and are not sealed by a steel door. They can also shoot hoops, play volleyball, and go on the prison recreational fields for several … [Read more...] about Arizona inmates allowed more privileges
2017’s low executions only 23
Though 2017 had the second fewest annual prison executions in several decades—23 executions to be exact—the controversies surrounding capital punishment have yet to decline, reports Newsweek. In the five death penalty cases Newsweek featured, issues of mental health, overlooked or incorrect use of evidence and neglect of inmates’ rights were brought to the forefront. Similarly, since all of the inmates were executed by lethal injection, disputes over the use of a new drug in the cocktails were also featured. Firing squad Ricky Jovan Gray was … [Read more...] about 2017’s low executions only 23
A man’s life conversion testimony from Death Row
I was arrested on Oct. 1, 1983, just 55 days after my 21st birthday. A jury in California then convicted me of the charges, which were held against me, and sentenced me to death. The very next morning, in the early hours, I was abruptly taken out of the county jail and transported to San Quentin State Prison, where I was handed over to the warden on California’s death row. The classification board cleared me to participate in the exercise yard program, so each morning after being strip-searched and handcuffed, I am escorted to a concrete … [Read more...] about A man’s life conversion testimony from Death Row
Governor may stall death penalty
Gov. Jerry Brown is in control of how fast executions resume in California, according to the Los Angeles Times. Currently, there is an injunction against further executions pending in state court while an injection protocol is being litigated. Litigation has stalled any execution in the state for more than 12 years. In November 2016 California voters approved Proposition 66, a process to speed up executions. After the California Supreme Court upheld Proposition 66, “both backers and opponents of the death penalty concede that executions at … [Read more...] about Governor may stall death penalty
Republicans aim to end America’s death penalty
The death penalty is dying in the United States, and surprisingly, a large number of Republicans are contributing to its demise, according to a report examining legislative attempts to end capital punishment. The report by Conservatives Concerned About the Death Penalty, a group dedicated to exposing conservative opposition to capital punishment, said lawmakers across the country are actively lobbying their colleagues to repeal such legislation. In 2016 and 2017, “dozens of Republican lawmakers sponsored death penalty repeal bills. In fact, … [Read more...] about Republicans aim to end America’s death penalty
Lawyer urges defendant to plead guilty in capital case
In the summer of 2011, defendant Robert McCoy met with his lawyer Larry English to discuss how to plead in a capital case, The New York Times reported. English told McCoy that he wanted him to concede to killing the mother, stepfather and brother-in-law of his estranged wife. Others committed the crimes, McCoy told English, and he wanted to clear his name. However, English said in a sworn statement that “Robert was furious, and it was a very intense meeting. He told me not to make that concession, but I told him that I was going to do … [Read more...] about Lawyer urges defendant to plead guilty in capital case
Pope calls teaching capital punishment inadmissible
When the Vicar of Christ speaks about the death penalty, shouldn’t the world listen? Pope Francis visited the United States two years ago and told Congress and the United Nations that he opposes the death penalty. He even went a step further, calling for a revision of official church teachings that would make capital punishment “inadmissible,” Christopher Lamb wrote in the Religion News Service. During a speech at the Vatican in October 2017, the Pontiff said the death penalty is “contrary to the Gospel, because it entails the willful … [Read more...] about Pope calls teaching capital punishment inadmissible
Death penalty appeal to eliminate capital punishment
A well-known criminal lawyer wants the U.S. Supreme Court to hear the death penalty case of Abel Daniel Hidalgo because he says it could wipe out capital punishment in America. “I have spent the last few years with my team looking for cases that highlight the gross problems with the death penalty in practice, and this case is a perfect example of them,” attorney Neal Katyal told BuzzFeed News. He was also the lead attorney for Hawaii’s challenge to Pres. Donald Trump’s travel ban. Four justices have been waiting for an opportunity to hear a … [Read more...] about Death penalty appeal to eliminate capital punishment
Nevada plans to use execute using combination of unproven drugs
Nevada plans to use a combination of drugs for an execution that has never been used and its effectiveness is unproven, an investigative Global News story reports. Despite the growing opioid epidemic plaguing a large number of U.S. and Canadian communities, Nevada Department of Corrections wants to use fentanyl in an upcoming execution, the Aug. 31 story reported. According to author Andrew Russell, “Scott Dozier, 46, is scheduled to be executed by lethal injection on Nov. 14 for the 2002 murder of 22-year old Jeremiah Miller who was killed … [Read more...] about Nevada plans to use execute using combination of unproven drugs