Death Penalty

Will US Seek Death Penalty in First Trial of Former Gitmo Detainee?

Amnesty International | Posted 07.09.2009 | World


Amnesty International

Last month, Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani became the first Guantanamo Bay detainee to be brought to the United States for trial outside of the military commission system.

Sensationalist Film Exploits Human Rights Issue in Iran

Amnesty International | Posted 06.24.2009 | Entertainment


Amnesty International

An accurate and thoughtful film about executions in Iran would be welcome, but we will still have to wait, as the Stoning of Soraya M is not it.

Experts Agree: Death Penalty Not a Deterrent

Tamar Abrams | Posted 06.18.2009 | Politics


Tamar Abrams

Only three countries in the world -- China, Iran and Saudi Arabia -- execute more prisoners than the U.S each year; a practice that costs the nation hundreds of millions of dollars annually.

Third Screen: The Next Manhattan DA May Be A Woman

Vickie Karp | Posted 06.12.2009 | Politics


Vickie Karp

Leslie Crocker Snyder is running to be the first woman to be Manhattan District Attorney. Snyder has prosecuted mafia members and drug lords and gang members. She created the first sex crimes unit in the United States, writing the Rape/Shield law that, to this day, saves rape victims from malicious and overly-broad cross-examination.

Obama Admin May Permit 9/11 Suspects To Plead Guilty In Capital Cases

AP | LARA JAKES | Posted 06.06.2009 | Politics


WASHINGTON — Guantanamo detainees facing the death penalty could plead guilty without a full trial under a plan the Obama administration is cons...

As Death Penalty Questions Swirl, Bar Association Hosting Debate

AP | Posted 06.05.2009 | Chicago


CHICAGO (AP) -- The Chicago Bar Association's death penalty task force is hosting a discussion and debate, just days after Cook County's public defend...

State's Attorney Won't Halt Death Penalty Prosecutions Despite Public Defender's Plea

Huffington Post | Posted 06.04.2009 | Chicago


Prosecutors in Cook County will continue seeking the death penalty despite pleas from the public defender for a moratorium. Chicago Public Radio repo...

Tone Deaf Governor

Mike Farrell | Posted 06.03.2009 | Politics


Mike Farrell

Leadership, Governor Schwarzenegger, means doing the right thing: serving people, not victimizing them.

Sister Helen Prejean, of Dead Man Walking fame, on a Kinder Christianity (Video)

Waylon Lewis | Posted 05.30.2009 | Living


Waylon Lewis

The nun behind Dead Man Walking, the best-selling book and movie offers a Christianity that's about mercy, compassion, forgiveness, humor. "It's all about waking up," Sister Helen says.

The Supreme Court, Empathy, and the Science of Decision Making

Kent Greenfield | Posted 05.25.2009 | Politics


Kent Greenfield

In such a homogeneous group as our Supreme Court, a Justice's intellectual ability to appreciate the situation of someone from a different background or in a different situation is essential.

Steven Green Spared Death Penalty For Iraqi Rape, Murders

AP | BRETT BARROUQUERE | Posted 05.21.2009 | World


PADUCAH, Ky. — An ex-soldier convicted of raping and killing an Iraqi teen and murdering her family was spared the death penalty Thursday after ...

Death Penalty Opposition Say Newspapers' Troubles Hurt Efforts

New York Times | TIM ARANGO | Posted 05.21.2009 | Media


Opponents of the death penalty looking to exonerate wrongly accused prisoners say their efforts have been hobbled by the dwindling size of America's n...

Innocence, Schminnocence. We've Got an Execution to Put On.

Amnesty International | Posted 05.19.2009 | Politics


Amnesty International

By Brian Evans, Death Penalty Abolition Campaigner at Amnesty International USA. Imagine a case where someone is sent to death row solely on the test...

Troy Davis is Still With Us

Allison Kilkenny | Posted 05.18.2009 | Politics


Allison Kilkenny

Excerpt from an article I originally posted back in September: Two hours before Troy Davis was scheduled to die, the U.S. Supreme Court granted him a...

The 132nd Death Row Exoneree: Implications for the Troy Davis Case

Diann Rust-Tierney | Posted 05.14.2009 | Politics


Diann Rust-Tierney

One of the many disturbing aspects of capital punishment is that it has no guarantee against mistaken convictions and executions.

Life after Death (Penalty): Ash Amador Goes to England

Dave Maass | Posted 04.24.2009 | Politics


Dave Maass

John "Ash" Amador was the last man I interviewed on Texas death row. The documentary 402, is about his execution and subsequent efforts to cast his face in a death mask.

If the Bible Were Law, Would You Qualify for the Death Penalty?

Valerie Tarico | Posted 04.24.2009 | Politics


Valerie Tarico

When people put God's name on Bronze Age documents, and then make those documents a golden calf, they get stuck with Bronze Age moral thinking.

Huckaby: Abuser Was Abused?

Deborah King | Posted 04.15.2009 | Living


Deborah King

As upsetting and shocking as the circumstances of the child's death are, it doesn't mean Huckaby is crazy. Emotionally traumatized, with no functional way to release her pain and anger, yes.

A Month of Killing, More on the Way?

Norm Stamper | Posted 04.13.2009 | Politics


Norm Stamper

Shooting an armed, hostage-holding assailant can be a life-saving act of heroism. But there's something fundamentally wrong with taking the life of someone in the state's custody.

A Good Friday Appeal to Abolish the Death Penalty

Jim Wallis | Posted 04.09.2009 | Politics


Jim Wallis

There is a growing energy, across political boundaries and especially among people of faith, to have a new national conversation on the death penalty.

Reflections on Easter and the Death Penalty

Diann Rust-Tierney | Posted 04.09.2009 | Politics


Diann Rust-Tierney

Whether one views the accounts of Jesus' trial and execution as historical or allegorical there is a deep understanding that in this case the system is about to make a cruel and arbitrary mistake.

NM's Willie Horton?

Nora McAlvanah | Posted 04.07.2009 | Home


Nora McAlvanah

A new ad from Repealtherepeal.org, aimed at reinstating the death penalty in NM, started airing statewide yesterday. The spot, which will run on bro...

Putting "Justice" Back Into D.O.J.

David O. Stewart | Posted 04.06.2009 | Politics


David O. Stewart

Why shouldn't the people also have their own lawyer?

Wrongful Convictions Are Still Possible in New Mexico

John Terzano | Posted 03.29.2009 | Politics


John Terzano

I applaud Governor Bill Richardson for his commitment to the fair administration of justice and hope that he continues to ensure that life and liberty are both protected in New Mexico.

Arthur Delaney

Osama Bin Laden Resurfaces In Congressional Race (VIDEO)

HuffingtonPost.com | Arthur Delaney | Posted 03.27.2009 | Politics


The National Republican Congressional Committee is poised to release a new ad for their man in the race to fill a vacant House seat in New York. The a...