Last Wednesday, Philadelphia District Attorney Seth Williams announced that he would not seek the death penalty against Mumia Abu-Jamal. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Abu-Jamal’s death sentence was unconstitutional and washed its hands of the matter. This left Williams with the option of pursuing a death sentence through a new hearing, or settling for […]
Before Troy Davis became known to the country and later the world, Mumia Abu-Jamal gained international appeal when he was convicted of the 1981 murder of Philadelphia police officer Daniel Faulkner, and sentenced to death. Abu-Jamal was encapsulated as the “world’s best known death row inmate.” 1. MEANING BEHIND THE NAME–Abu-Jamal was born Wesley Cook. […]
On June 16th, 1944, the United States put to rest the youngest person ever to be subjected to the death penalty. George Junius Stinney Jr. was only 14 when he was arrested and charged for allegedly murdering an 8 and an 11-year -old duo of white girls with a large railroad spike. The sheriff at […]
In the wake of several high-profile capital punishment cases, the death penalty is once again becoming a hot button political issue. And while the number of death sentences per year has dropped over the last decade, the data paints an interesting picture that demands heavy analysis from both sides of the issue. See also: Do You Agree […]
Rev. Al Sharpton will call upon the U.S. Justice Department to take the lead in capital punishment cases across the country, and strip states from prosecuting them. Check out our Troy Davis Execution coverage Top 5 most wrongful executions ever Sharpton, who called the execution of Troy Davis, a “bleak day in the American justice […]
The death penalty is a very controversial punishment. Some argue that it is a powerful tool to deter crime and others say that it is cruel and unusual punishment. Despite the fact that the death penalty goes against the Christian Commandment, “Thou Shalt Not Kill,” much of the support for the penalty comes from right-wing […]
With the scheduled execution of Troy Davis in Atlanta, Georgia today, the controversy surrounding the execution is what has the whole world up in arms. Many claim that Davis is innocent due to numerous witnesses who initially claimed Davis was the murderer, now recanting their stories. Below are other examples of executions that many in […]
While the death penalty has long been a hot-button political issue in the U.S., as of late it has not received as much attention as other controversial issues. RELATED: Traveling While Black: Houston, Texas RELATED: Traveling While Black: Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas In 2011, a number of high profile executions, as well as judges and politicians campaigning for […]
JARRATT, Va. (AP) — A man who raped and suffocated an 88-year-old woman was executed, becoming Virginia’s first inmate to be given a lethal injection using a revised three-drug cocktail. Jerry Terrell Jackson, 30, was pronounced dead at 9:14 p.m. Thursday at Greensville Correctional Center. Asked if he had any final words, Jackson shook his […]
Judges in Alabama are using their power, ignoring juries and imposing the death penalty on defendants who kill white victims, according to a recent report by the Equal Justice Initiative. Among other findings, the report examines judicial overrides — a little known practice that allows judges to overturn jury-decisions in death penalty cases. From the […]
Since 1976, Alabama state judges have overturned 107 jury decisions in capital cases, and in 92 percent of those cases, jury recommendations of life imprisonment were rejected in favor of death sentences, according to a new report by the Equal Justice Initiative, a non-profit law firm based in Montgomery, Ala. Last November, jurors in Lee […]
HUNTSVILLE, Texas — The planned execution Thursday of a Mexican national has prompted a flurry of appeals on his behalf, including a rare plea from the White House, because of what it could mean for other foreigners arrested in the U.S. and for Americans detained in other countries. Humberto Leal, 38, is awaiting a ruling […]
