AltWeeklies Wire
Will North Carolina Resume Executions or Keep the Ban?new
Now that the legal battle over a doctor's role in death row executions is nearing a conclusion, the issue of capital punishment in North Carolina is about to land in the laps of the 2009 General Assembly and Governor-elect Bev Perdue.
INDY Week |
Bob Geary |
12-04-2008 |
Crime & Justice
The Texas Criminal Justice System is Embracing 'The Life Penalty'new
In the execution capital of the free world, death sentences have declined dramatically, thanks in part to the institution of life-without-parole sentences in 2005.
The Texas Observer |
John Moritz |
12-03-2008 |
Crime & Justice
No Fix in Sight for Tennessee's Flawed Death Penalty Systemnew
After a 2007 study, the American Bar Association called for a moratorium on executions in this state until the system is fixed. Of the ABA's 93 recommended guidelines, Tennessee complies with only seven.
Nashville Scene |
Jeff Woods |
10-03-2008 |
Crime & Justice
Lethal Rejection: Karl Chamberlain's Execution is Overnew
On Feb. 21, Karl Chamberlain received a rare greeting card from his half-sister, Liberty Chamberlain: "Happy Death Day," it read. "Glad you're still with us." Chamberlain, the first to receive an execution date once Texas reopened the execution chamber after a Supreme Court ruling, was executed by lethal injection on June 11.
Santa Fe Reporter |
Dave Maass |
06-19-2008 |
Crime & Justice
Putting a Face on Texas' Death Row Populationnew

Shooting through the glass of interview cubicles, photographer and investigator John Holbrook has made eloquent portraits of some of the men -- and one of the women on Texas' Death Row.
Fort Worth Weekly |
Gayle Reaves and John Holbrook |
05-08-2008 |
Crime & Justice
A Former Death-House Chaplain Talks About Capital Punishmentnew
From 1982-95, Reverend Carroll Pickett presided over the executions of 95 inmates. After his retirement, Pickett became an anti-death-penalty advocate and began working with the Texas Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty. At the Death House Door, the documentary following his emotional career, premiered at the SXSW film festival in March.
San Antonio Current |
Kiko Martinez |
04-30-2008 |
Crime & Justice
In Virginia, a Semantic Battle Over the Death Penaltynew
In the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court's April 16 decision on lethal injection, the state's Democrats and Republicans fight the "reprieve" vs. "moratorium" battle via press release.
C-Ville Weekly |
Scott Weaver |
04-23-2008 |
Crime & Justice
Too Dumb to Dienew
Kevin Moore's case raises questions about executing the mentally disabled.
New Times Broward-Palm Beach |
Trevor Aaronson |
04-21-2008 |
Crime & Justice
Only One Texas Inmate Has a Standing Execution Datenew
Across the country, death-row inmates have filed for, and uniformly received, stays of execution as the US Supreme Court considers the constitutionality of the three-chemical lethal injection method employed in 37 states. Yet, no lawyer has so far filed for a stay for Karl Chamberlain.
Santa Fe Reporter |
Dave Maass |
01-24-2008 |
Crime & Justice
Killing Time: Dead Men Waiting on Oregon's Death Rownew

The state's machinery of death is clearly in place. But since the U.S. Supreme Court allowed states to resume executions in 1976, Oregon has killed only two men. Meanwhile, 35 men sit alone this week in their cells on death row.
Willamette Week |
James Pitkin |
01-23-2008 |
Crime & Justice
Resisting Execution Reform in Tennesseenew
Some critics blame the attorney general for status quo in lethal injection protocols.
Nashville Scene |
Sarah Kelley |
09-07-2007 |
Crime & Justice
Will Death Penalty's Cost Change the Debate Over its Use?new
With an official moratorium on hold, death penalty opponents are looking to capital punishment's cost as a way to get executions banned in North Carolina, and they've got a surprising -- if differently motivated -- ally.
Creative Loafing (Charlotte) |
Karen Shugart |
08-17-2007 |
Crime & Justice
Shame: China's Most Valuable Export
Corrupt Chinese officials face execution while CEOs who mess up commit suicide -- is there something we can learn?
Maui Time |
Ted Rall |
08-15-2007 |
Commentary
Separating the Insane from the Fakers on Death Rownew
It isn't that hard for a state like Missouri to kill a retarded inmate -- not if it has a cooperative psychiatrist.
The Pitch |
Nadia Pflaum |
06-14-2005 |
Crime & Justice
New York's Last Executioner Kept His Work Secretnew
Deputy sheriff and electrician Dow B. Hover served as New York's executioner in the 1950s and 1960s, lowering the lever that operated the electric chair. He earned $150 per execution, but the work took a toll, his children say.
The Village Voice |
Jennifer Gonnerman |
01-26-2005 |
Crime & Justice