California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta announced earlier this month that he is creating a Post-Conviction Justice Unit, which will investigate past criminal convictions and “seek to remedy cases where there have been miscarriages of justice.” Bonta said the new unit, a first for California, will work with local district attorneys and review and investigate cases with the aim of “resolving wrongful or improper criminal convictions, including matters where there may be evidence of significant integrity issues, and to identify cases that may be suitable for potential resentencing.” Similar to other conv ..read more

On Thursday, February 23, 2023, DPF presented a discussion about “Lethal Injection Lies,” the myth that there is a painless, humane way to kill a human being. Death Penalty Chair Mike Farrell moderated the discussion with three lethal injection experts, all of whom have unique experiences with the death penalty and can eloquently attest to the barbarity of the execution process in the United States. The post On Demand: “Lethal Injection Lies”: The Myth of the Humane, Painless Execution appeared first on Death Penalty Focus ..read more

The news media may be permitted to visit and interview individuals imprisoned in California prisons and jails for the first time since the mid-1990s, under a bill introduced by state Sen. Nancy Skinner. “The news media plays a vital role in providing information to the public and policymakers about how our government operates. California used to allow the news media much greater access to state prisons, enabling us to learn more about prison conditions. But for the past three decades, California prisons have been among the least transparent in the nation. SB 254 will reopen access so we can co ..read more

A group of faith leaders is asking Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey to appoint an independent review board to investigate the state’s execution protocol, AL.com reports.  “Our beliefs are varied and our communities diverse, but we all agree that the unnecessary pain and suffering at the hands of the state where we live and worship demands our response,” the interfaith group of about 170 leaders wrote in a letter hand-delivered to the governor’s office this week, according to AL.com. Ivey put executions on hold in November after corrections officials botched the failed execution of Kenneth Smith on N ..read more

The Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals granted a motion filed by newly-elected Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond to slow down the state’s frenzied plan to execute seven men in seven months between February 16 and August 3, 2023. The new execution dates are scheduled for every 60 days between May 18 and June 6, 2024. Richard Glossip, whose February 16 date has been changed to May 18, his ninth execution date since he was sentenced to death, is scheduled to be the first. But even that execution date is now in question because on January 26, Drummond announced he was appointing an indepe ..read more

Stating that Arizona’s recent history of executions by lethal injection “has caused many, including courts, to express concerns regarding whether executions are being carried out constitutionally, humanely, and in compliance with the State’s own laws and procedures,” Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs has ordered an independent review of the state’s execution procedures and protocols with a final report and recommendations to be made to her and the attorney general. Attorney General Kristin K. Mayes announced the review last Friday in her motion to withdraw the state’s execution warrant for Aaron Gunche ..read more

2022 was the “year of the botched execution,” according to the Death Penalty Information Center. And now, a 166-page report from a law firm commissioned by Tennessee’s Gov. Bill Lee to analyze that state’s execution protocol could help explain why. Released late last month by the governor, it was authored by former U.S. Attorney Ed Stanton, whose law firm was tasked with conducting an independent investigation into the Tennessee Department of Corrections execution process, specifically, its guidelines on testing its lethal injection chemicals, the “clarity” of its manual on the lethal injectio ..read more

The California Supreme Court granted review earlier this month on whether people serving life-without-parole sentences for crimes committed when they were between the ages of 18 and 25 should be entitled to parole hearings after they’ve spent 25 years in prison. That right already exists for those sentenced to life for crimes committed when they were 18 – 25. The review will not include those in that age range who were sentenced to death.  A decision is not expected for at least two years.  The post CA Supreme Court to give 18-25-year-olds sentenced to lwop a second look appeared fir ..read more

California Gov. Gavin Newsom issued an Executive Order in May 2021, calling for an investigation into Kevin Cooper’s 1985 death penalty conviction for a quadruple murder in San Bernardino County in 1983. The order tasked the Los Angeles law firm Morrison Foerster to “conduct a full review of the trial and appellate records in this case, and of the facts underlying the conviction, including facts and evidence that do not appear in the trial and appellate records. The firm’s review shall include an evaluation of all available evidence, including the recently conducted DNA tests.” Two weeks ago ..read more

In Oklahoma, Scott Eizember was also killed last week, the first of 11 executions the state has scheduled for this year, one person a month with a break in September. Eizember was sentenced to death in 2003 for the murders of A.J and Patsy Cantrell. His execution was almost delayed because of his request to have his spiritual advisor in the execution chamber with him. The Oklahoma State Department of Corrections had denied the request, citing his advisor’s social activism, but reversed its decision after a discussion with the Cantrell family, whom the department said were opposed to delaying t ..read more