Death Row — Social and Economic Issues — Galsworthy Criminal Justice Reform Program

Unlikely supporters of ending the death penalty in Pa. and beyond? Prosecutors. | Opinion

“Against this backdrop, elected prosecutors are increasingly speaking out against the death penalty — from State Attorney Aramis Ayala in Orlando to District Attorney Dan Satterberg in Seattle to Larry Krasner in Philadelphia. And while the Pennsylvania Supreme Court failed to embrace this reform, the 28 other states where this penalty remains in place can choose to begin the work of healing their communities by ending one of our nation’s ugliest legacies.“

Philadelphia Inquirer

October 7, 2019

Death RowPhillip ReevesOctober 7, 2019Philadelphia, Philadelphia Inquirer, Pennsylvania, Larry KrasnerComment

The death penalty punishes PA’s corrections workers, too | Opinion

“The corrections profession learned long ago that working with death row prisoners causes trauma, and officers working on death row today are regularly monitored for mental health concerns. No officer is permitted to work there longer than two years, and most “tours of duty” on the row are much shorter. Although staff members leave the environment, psychological effects can persist for years.“

Penn Live

July 16, 2019

Death RowPhillip ReevesJuly 16, 2019Penn Live, PennsylvaniaComment

Philadelphia D.A. Larry Krasner Argues PA Death Penalty Is Unconstitutional

“"Where nearly three out of every four death sentences have been overturned—after years of litigation at significant taxpayer expense—there can be no confidence that capital punishment has been carefully reserved for the most culpable defendants, as our Constitution requires," the office wrote in its brief. "Where a majority of death sentenced defendants have been represented by poorly compensated, poorly supported court-appointed attorneys, there is a significant likelihood that capital punishment has not been reserved for the 'worst of the worst.'"“

Reason Magazine

July 15, 2019

Death RowPhillip ReevesJuly 15, 2019Reason Magazine, Larry Krasner, Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaComment

New Hampshire abolishes death penalty after lawmakers override governor

“This debate has been largely symbolic, because New Hampshire has neither an active death penalty system nor any executions on the horizon. The state has only one person on death row — Michael Addison, who was sentenced to death more than a decade ago for killing Michael Briggs, a Manchester police officer — and last carried out an execution in 1939.“

Washington Post

May 30, 2019

Death RowPhillip ReevesMay 30, 2019Washington Post, New HampshireComment

It’s Time to End the Death Penalty Nationwide

“With so many states curtailing the death penalty and candidates for the nation’s highest office calling for an end to the practice, it seems unfathomable that the U.S. would actually be increasing its overall executions—but that is exactly what’s happened. Despite global capital punishment numbers falling by 31 percent in 2018, the U.S. had 25 executions, which continues an upward trend since 2016. That means the U.S. killed more prisoners than nations such as Iran, Iraq, Somalia, South Sudan, and Pakistan.“

The American Conservative

May 2, 2019

Death RowPhillip ReevesMay 2, 2019The American ConservativeComment

Abolishing the Death Penalty Leads to Decline in Murders

“This data parallels data from states in the United States. It has been repeatedly shown that states without the death penalty have lower homicide rates than those that do. It appears that when governments stop killing, so do their citizens.“

Criminal Legal News

April 12, 2019

Death RowPhillip ReevesApril 12, 2019Criminal Legal NewsComment

NH Senate committee votes 4-1 in favor of repealing death penalty

“The bill now heads to a vote by the full Senate, where it is expected to pass with a veto-proof majority. The bill, which passed the House in March with a veto-proof majority, would not spare Michael Addison, who was convicted of killing Manchester police Officer Michael Briggs in 2006. Addison is the state's only death-row inmate. New Hampshire has not executed an inmate since 1939.”

WMUR New Hampshire

April 2, 2019

Death RowPhillip ReevesApril 2, 2019WMUR New Hampshire, New HampshireComment

America Has Stopped Being a Civilized Nation

"Then too, there is the matter of our own dignity, the dignity of those of us in whose name and for whose “protection” the state has decided — in cold blood, with calm premeditation — to take a human life. We are not doing it out of fear or rage or insanity. We are doing it out of a primitive need for vengeance."

New York Times

August 12, 2018

Death RowAnthony BradleyAugust 15, 2018New York Times, Tennessee

The Conservative Case Against the Death Penalty

"It’s tempting to chalk up Pope Francis’s recent announcement—that the catechism has been revised to decree the death penalty as always “inadmissible”—to his perceived leftism. But that would be a mistake not only from a theological perspective, but also from a conservative one."

The American Conservative

August 9, 2018

Death Row, Social IssuesAnthony BradleyAugust 10, 2018American Conservative, Pope Francis, Conservatism

The Pope Makes a Fatal Error

"Here the principle of justice, which demands that malefactors receive a punishment proportionate to their offense, and deterrence of this deeper sort meet. If we abolish the death penalty for even the most heinous and coldblooded murderers, we fatally undermine the idea of justice as the cornerstone of our criminal-justice system."

Wall Street Journal

August 7, 2018

Death RowAnthony BradleyAugust 8, 2018Wall St Journal, Pope Francis

Pope’s Death Penalty Stance Won’t Stop Execution, Nebraska’s Catholic Governor Says

"'While I respect the pope’s perspective, capital punishment remains the will of the people and the law of the state of Nebraska,' Mr. Ricketts’s statement said. 'It is an important tool to protect our corrections officers and public safety. The state continues to carry out the sentences ordered by the court'."

New York Times

August 3, 2018

Death RowAnthony BradleyAugust 6, 2018New York Times, Pope Francis, Nebraska, Pete Ricketts

Pope Francis declares death penalty inadmissible in all cases

"The Catechism of the Church, a codified doctrine which sums up teachings, had previously stated that the death penalty could be used in some cases. It now says it is 'inadmissible because it is an attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person'."

BBC

August 2, 2018

Death Row, Social IssuesAnthony BradleyAugust 3, 2018BBC, Pope Francis

Social and Economic Issues

Galsworthy CJR Program

Info