The U.S. Supreme Court is wrapping up its 2015-2016 term this week. Starting all the way back at the beginning of last October, the Court decided two particularly noteworthy death penalty-related cases this term, and agreed to hear a third during its 2016-2017 term. Read More
We have compiled a list of valuable books for your reading list that discuss capital punishment, the criminal justice system, and social reform. Read More
On October 10th, 2014, having spent 17 years in prison, Susan Mellen was exonerated by a Los Angeles County judge, who described the case as a “failure of the criminal justice system.” Read More
On May 19th, in a 5-0 unanimous ruling, the Delaware Supreme Court overturned the conviction of death row prisoner Jermaine Wright, citing a “miscarriage of justice.” Read More
After spending 30 years on Louisiana’s death row for a crime he did not commit, Glenn Ford was exonerated and walked free on Tuesday, March 11. Mr. Ford is one of the country’s longest serving death row inmates, and his case exemplifies why, if we speed up the appeals process, we increase the likelihood that an innocent person will be executed. Read More
Alabama is one of three states (Delaware and Florida are the others) that allow judges to override a jury’s sentencing decision in capital cases and issue a death sentence despite the jury’s recommendation to the contrary. On November 18, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear the case of Mario Woodward who was sentenced by an Alabama judge to death despite an 8-4 jury vote at trial against it. According to news accounts, the jury’s decision was influenced by multiple mitigating factors, including the importance of Woodward’s relationship with his children. Read More