Two California Supreme Court justices have joined the debate against capital punishment. “California’s death penalty is an expensive and dysfunctional system that does not deliver justice or closure in a timely manner, if at all,” Justice Goodwin Liu wrote in a published opinion. The opinion upheld the death sentence of Thomas Potts, convicted of two murders in 1998. Liu’s opinion was cosigned by Justice Mariano-Florentino Cuellar, the San Francisco Chronicle reported March 28. Liu noted the California execution moratorium imposed … [Read more...] about Two California Supreme Court justices against capital punishment
capital punishment
Iranian legal reforms reduce executions
Capital punishment in Iran has roughly been cut in half because of drug law reform, a human rights organization reports. Executions in Iran have also been cut in half after historic law reforms, according to Human Rights Watch and Harm Reduction International. Iran had 225 executions in 2018, of which 91 were for drug offenses. In 2017, there were 507 executions, according to a March 17 story in Current Events. The decrease in drug- related executions is due to new amendments in drug laws, which were motivated in part by … [Read more...] about Iranian legal reforms reduce executions
India adopts capital punishment for child rape under twelve
In April, India passed a law permitting the death penalty for rape of a child under 12, reigniting an international debate over capital punishment. In India, only four people have been executed in the past 13 years. Three of those executed were convicted of terrorism and one for rape of a minor, Chaitanya Mallapur reported for the Business Standard News. Sentence Of the 109 prisoners sentenced to death in 2017, 43 people (39 percent) were sentenced to death for murder involving sexual violence. Now, India is the 14th country to … [Read more...] about India adopts capital punishment for child rape under twelve
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