Death sentences, executions take 'historic drop,' report says:

Death sentences, executions take 'historic drop,' report says: The release of the annual report by the Death Penalty Information Center follows recent polls showing a withering of support for capital punishment over controversial cases like that of Troy Davis, who was executed in Georgia in September. The decline in the use of the death penalty also has likely been influenced by states’ worsening financial conditions, said Richard Dieter, the center’s executive director.

            Executions by state
State           2011   2010
Texas              13     17
Alabama           6      5
Ohio                 5      8
Georgia             4      2
Arizona             4      1
Oklahoma         2      3
Mississippi        2     3
Florida              2     1
Virginia             1     3
South Carolina  1     0
Missouri            1    0
Delaware           1    0
Idaho                 1    0
Louisiana            0    1
Utah                   0    1
Washington        0     1
        Total         43    46


I've said it before but many of us have a moral problem with the death penalty in light of the many recently highlight cases of those put to death who were railroaded and were innocent.. Plain and simple, it's barbaric. I don't care whether it's Davis, an African American who steadfastly proclaimed he did not murder Mark MacPhail, a white, off-duty police officer; or Lawrence Brewer, one of three white assailants convicted in the dragging death of James Byrd who was murdered for being black. Brewer was executed in Texas, the capital-punishment capital, also Wednesday, In fact, Texas has walked 475 people to slaughter since 1976.

I thought we were making progress but what the hell is going on of late? Illinois joined the ranks of those outlawing the death penalty! I am glad for the historic drop but why can't the entire US at least use the death penalty only in obvious deserved necessary cases?

The last fifteen death row inmates in Illinois will live out their days in jail cells, instead of dying on a execution gurney, now that capital punishment has officially ended in the state. What are your thoughts on that? The ban took effect on Friday, July 1st But the state Department of Corrections began emptying the death row cells in Pontiac in March. The prisoners have been evaluated and moved to other maximum security facilities throughout Illinois, department spokeswoman Stacey Solano said.

Illinois Governor Pat Quinnz signed into law a ban on the death penalty on March 9, saying it was impossible to fix a system that had wrongly condemned at least 20 innocent men. Illinois death row inmates moved to regular jail cells No kidding!

China, Iran, North Korea, Yemen, and the United States lead the world in carrying out the most death sentences. Amnesty International: Death penalty on decline, US in top 5 That's quite the company to be proud of isn't it?

What do you think about the death penalty? My thoughts below; Thirty-four states, including Virginia and Maryland, allow capital punishment. All use lethal injection, and, until recently, most had used a three-drug cocktail: sodium thiopental to render the condemned unconscious, pancuronium bromide to paralyze the prisoner and potassium chloride to stop the heart. They can no longer get their hands on it. What do you think about the death penalty? My thoughts below

states with the death penalty

Alabama Missouri
Arizona Montana
Arkansas Nebraska
California Nevada
Colorado New Hampshire
Connecticut North Carolina
Delaware Ohio
Florida Oklahoma
Georgia Oregon
Idaho Pennsylvania
Indiana South Carolina
Kansas South Dakota
Kentucky Tennessee
Louisiana Texas
Maryland Utah
Mississippi Virginia
Washington
Wyoming
US military
US Government


States now without the death penalty


Alaska
Hawaii
Illinois
Iowa
Maine
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
North Dakota
Rhode Island
Vermont
West Virginia

Wisconsin
Dist. of Colombia

If you read my stories in the past on this you know I have mixed feelings on the death penalty. Often times a person may be arrested and sentenced to death knowing they were innocent just to further someone's career or to quell the public. Now that we have DNA testing we are finding too often we have the wrong man. We have seen it too often

I do believe the death penalty is justified as in the case of the Fort Hood shootings and the Jared Loughner's shootings where they should be put to death immediately with no trial. They should not have a venue to plead their case. Sane or insane they did it wantonly and publicly, that is all that matters. Cases like those aside I am no longer comfortable with the death penalty being justified because of the horror of the crime because we can not be certain we have the right person unless we actually see them do the deserved crime.

James Joiner
Gardner, Ma
http://anaverageamericanpatriot.blogspot.com

World shocked by US execution of Troy Davis: Death penalty on decline worldwide, Still the US is in the top 5, what is going on here?

Alabama carries out third US execution in a week: The execution followed two high-profile lethal injections this week in Georgia and Texas. In a case that drew international attention, Troy Davis was put to death in Georgia on Wednesday for the murder of a police officer despite claims by his advocates that he may have been innocent.


World shocked by US execution of Troy Davis: World figures, including Pope Benedict XVI and former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, human rights groups and commentators urged the execution to be halted -- but to no avail. On Wednesday Davis was put to death by lethal injection for the 1989 killing of off-duty police officer Mark MacPhail despite doubts being raised over the conviction. 

The execution sparked angry reactions and protests in European capitals -- as well as outrage on social media. "We strongly deplore that the numerous appeals for clemency were not heeded," the French foreign ministry said. "There are still serious doubts about his guilt," said Germany's junior minister for human rights Markus Loening. "An execution is irreversible -- a judicial error can never be repaired."

The Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles made its decision less than three hours before Samuel David Crowe, 47, was to be executed, according to a spokeswoman for the state's prisons. "After careful and exhaustive consideration of the requests, the board voted to grant clemency. The board voted to commute the sentence to life without parole," the parole board said. 

Crowe's death would have marked the third execution since the U.S. Supreme Court lifted an unofficial moratorium on the death penalty last month. Crowe was not present at the parole board hearing in Atlanta. He had already eaten his last meal and was preparing to enter the execution chamber at the prison in Jackson, Georgia, Mallie McCord of the Georgia Department of Corrections said.

You are hearing the usual conjections as to race because Davis was Black and Crowe is white but this fast pace of killing convicts is moving too fast, maybe because of election season but Georgia and Texas seem to be an a race as to who can kill more. Enough is enough!

I've said it before but many of us have a moral problem with the death penalty in light of the many recently highlight cases of those put to death who were railroaded and were innocent.. Plain and simple, it's barbaric. I don't care whether it's Davis, an African American who steadfastly proclaimed he did not murder Mark MacPhail, a white, off-duty police officer; or Lawrence Brewer, one of three white assailants convicted in the dragging death of James Byrd, who was murdered for being black. Brewer was executed in Texas, the capital-punishment capital, also Wednesday, In fact, Texas has walked 475 people to slaughter since 1976.

I thought we were making progress but what the hell is going on of late? Illinois joined the ranks of those outlawing the death penalty! Why can't the entire US?

The last fifteen death row inmates in Illinois will live out their days in jail cells, instead of dying on a execution gurney, now that capital punishment has officially ended in the state. What are your thoughts on that? The ban took effect on Friday, July 1st But the state Department of Corrections began emptying the death row cells in Pontiac in March. The prisoners have been evaluated and moved to other maximum security facilities throughout Illinois, department spokeswoman Stacey Solano said.

Illinois Governor Pat Quinnz signed into law a ban on the death penalty on March 9, saying it was impossible to fix a system that had wrongly condemned at least 20 innocent men. Illinois death row inmates moved to regular jail cells No kidding!

China, Iran, North Korea, Yemen, and the United States lead the world in carrying out the most death sentences. Amnesty International: Death penalty on decline, US in top 5 That's quite the company to be proud of isn't it?

What do you think about the death penalty? My thoughts below; Thirty-four states, including Virginia and Maryland, allow capital punishment. All use lethal injection, and, until recently, most had used a three-drug cocktail: sodium thiopental to render the condemned unconscious, pancuronium bromide to paralyze the prisoner and potassium chloride to stop the heart. They can no longer get their hands on it. What do you think about the death penalty? My thoughts below

states with the death penalty

Alabama Missouri
Arizona Montana
Arkansas Nebraska
California Nevada
Colorado New Hampshire
Connecticut North Carolina
Delaware Ohio
Florida Oklahoma
Georgia Oregon
Idaho Pennsylvania
Indiana South Carolina
Kansas South Dakota
Kentucky Tennessee
Louisiana Texas
Maryland Utah
Mississippi Virginia
Washington
Wyoming
US military
US Government


States now without the death penalty


Alaska
Hawaii
Illinois
Iowa
Maine
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
North Dakota
Rhode Island
Vermont
West Virginia

Wisconsin
Dist. of Colombia

If you read my stories in the past on this you know I have mixed feelings on the death penalty. Often times a person may be arrested and sentenced to death knowing they were innocent just to further someone's career or to quell the public. Now that we have DNA testing we are finding too often we have the wrong man. We have seen it too often

I do believe the death penalty is justified as in the case of the Fort Hood shootings and the Jared Loughner's shootings where they should be put to death immediately with no trial. They should not have a venue to plead their case. Sane or insane they did it wantonly and publicly, that is all that matters. Cases like those aside I am no longer comfortable with the death penalty being justified because of the horror of the crime because we can not be certain we have the right person unless we actually see them do it.

* The world is shocked? I am shocked! What is happening right now in America in this seeming race to put people to death without knowing if they are guilty? Politics? Once again I am sickened.

James Joiner
Gardner, Ma
http://anaverageamericanpatriot.blogspot.com