Catholic leaders have joined their voices with members of the Navajo Nation in opposing the Aug. 26 scheduled execution of Lezmond Mitchell, the only Native American on federal death row. “The federal government’s planned execution of Mr. Mitchell violates the Navajo Nation’s cultural values, serves as a manifestation of the racial oppression inflicted upon Native…Read More
After President Donald Trump said Sunday that Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, perpetrator of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings, should be put to death, the Archdiocese of Boston said justice calls for life in prison, not the death penalty. “Catholic teaching does not support the taking of life as a means of achieving justice,” in Tsarnaev’s case, a…Read More
Several U.S. bishops, along with clergy and religious brothers and sisters from around the country, have signed a statement opposing federal executions that are scheduled to resume this month. Archbishop Joseph Kurtz of Louisville, Bishop William Medley of Owensboro, Kentucky, Bishop Oscar Solis of Salt Lake City, Bishop Thomas Zinkula of Davenport, Iowa, and Bishop Richard Pates…Read More
Attorneys for a group of Oklahoma death row prisoners say the state hasn’t finished its revisions to a plan for carrying out executions, as required by a 2015 legal agreement that suspended capital punishment in the state. Their challenge will be considered at a federal court hearing on Tuesday. The argument is the latest in…Read More
We have embarked on the season of Advent, waiting in eager anticipation for the birth of the Lord into our sinful world. With a heavy heart in a season of holy preparation, we are reminded of the U.S. government’s ongoing efforts to resume federal executions for the first time in 16 years. The first of…Read More
Conservatives Concerned About the Death Penalty released a statement July 25 criticizing the federal reinstatement of capital punishment, arguing the practice goes against the fundamental principles of conservatism. “Resumption of executions by the federal government goes against the trend we have seen in states across the nation, where executions and sentences are at historic lows.…Read More
Attorney General Bill Barr said Thursday the federal government will resume capital punishment and will move forward with plans to execute five inmates on death row for the first time in more than 15 years. The Justice Department said Barr has directed the Federal Bureau of Prisons to adopt a proposed addendum to the Federal…Read More
Louisiana’s bipartisan push to abolish the death penalty received an extra boost this week from Bishop Shelton Fabre of the diocese of Houma-Thibodaux. In an editorial in The Advocate, the state’s largest newspaper, the bishop called the practice “inconsistent with Louisiana’s values.” “Ours is one of the most religious states in the country, with more…Read More
What happens before a murder? In looking for ways to reduce death penalty cases, David R. Dow realized that a surprising number of death row inmates had similar biographies. In this talk he proposes a bold plan, one that prevents murders in the first place.
In two recent actions, the U.S. Supreme Court revealed its death penalty decisions are hardly cut and dried. In late March, the court blocked an execution because an inmate’s religious adviser wasn’t permitted to be present, which contrasted with their decision not to block an execution the previous month in a case also involving a…Read More