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StandDown Texas Project

Texas-centric examination of conditions, reform initiatives, and emerging issues related to best practices in the indigent criminal justice system with particular attention to issues involving capital punishment and the administration of the death penalty.
By StandDown Texas Project

Post Frequency: 49.3/day

Last Entry: April 01, 2011 at 14:21:29

Ohio News Coverage of the DPIC Report

Posted on December 18, 2009
Capital punishment issues were a major news topic in Ohio this year with the botched execution attempt of Romell Brown and the first use of a single-drug lethal injection. Ohio newspapers, as with Texas papers, have given the DPIC report...

International News Coverage of the DPIC Report

Posted on December 18, 2009
The Guardian reports, "US imposes fewer death penalties as DNA evidence see more people cleared," is by Chris McGreal in Washington. The number of death sentences imposed by US courts has fallen because of a growing number of exonerations through...

Texas News Coverage of the DPIC Report

Posted on December 18, 2009
"Death sentences in Texas declining along with nationwide trend, anti-capital punishment group says," is the title of the Dallas Morning News report by Tom Benning. Death sentences issued in Texas remained at historically low levels this year, part of a...

National News Coverage of the DPIC Report - UPDATED

Posted on December 18, 2009
The DPIC report, ?The Death Penalty in 2009: Year End Report," is in Adobe .pdf format. "Death Sentences Dropped, but Executions Rose in '09," is John Schwartz' report for the New York Times. More death row convicts were executed in...

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Death Penalty Information Center Releases 2009 Report

Posted on December 18, 2009
The DPIC report, "The Death Penalty in 2009: Year End Report," is in Adobe .pdf format. The next posts will link to news coverage of the report.

Exonerations in 2009

Posted on December 18, 2009
The Innocence Network, the national group of Innocence Projects working cooperatively, has issued, "Innocence Network Exonerations 2009." The work of Innocence Network member organizations led to the exoneration of 27 people 2009. Together, they served 421 years in prison for...

Juvenile Justice Roundup

Posted on December 18, 2009
First, there is word that the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee completed markup of S. 678 yesterday, legislation to renew of the Juvenile Justice Delinquency and Prevention Act of 1974. Main Justice posts, "Senate Panel Approves Juvenile Justice Bill Renewal...

EU President Speaks Out on America's Capital Punishment

Posted on December 18, 2009
The Presidency rotates among European Union member countries. It's currently held by Veronika Bard-Bring�us of Sweden. The official statement,published today, is, "EU statement in the OSCE on the Death Penalty in the USA." It is with deep regret that the...

Abolishing the Death Penalty

Posted on December 18, 2009
That's the title of a post at the Washington Post's On Faith blog written by Rev. Geoffrey Black, Rev. Linda Jaramillo, and Rabbi David Saperstein. LINK Many December holidays - Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa alike - involve the lighting of...

The U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights on Capital Punishment

Posted on December 17, 2009
Navi Pillay, posts, "Abolition of the Death Penalty," at Huffington Post. This month we mark the 20th anniversary of the adoption of a key treaty that aims to bring about the abolition of the death penalty. The treaty - known...

Juvenile Justice

Posted on December 17, 2009
Today's New York Times carries the editorial, "De-Criminalizing Children." It addresses renewal of the Juvenile Justice Delinquency and Prevention Act of 1974, which the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee is expected to take up today. As many as 150,000 children are...

Coverage of Third Circuit Oral Arguments - Delaware Lethal Injection Procedure

Posted on December 17, 2009
Delaware Online reports, "Delaware courts: State's execution protocols dissected," by Adam Taylor. A three-judge panel heard arguments Wednesday in a class-action lawsuit that has held up executions in Delaware for more than three years. U.S. 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals...

Indigent Defense Roundup

Posted on December 16, 2009
There is troubling news from Georgia and Oklahoma. From Georgia Public Radio, Emily Green reports, "State Slapped With Lawsuit Over Indigent Defense." Budget problems across the country mean many states are struggling to find a way to pay for indigent...

Waco Tribune-Herald Series Examines District Attorney's Office

Posted on December 16, 2009
This lengthy, must-read series is titled, "Measuring Justice," is written by Cindy Culp. Part 1 is titled, "Data offer clues on McLennan County district attorney's performance." It appeared in the Sunday edition The McLennan County District Attorney?s Office does not...

In Oklahoma

Posted on December 16, 2009
The Oklahoman reports, "Oklahoma lawmaker Connie Johnson seeks support to abolish death penalty," by Julie Bisbee. Sen. Connie Johnson said she will spend the next four years working to get support for abolishing the death penalty before eventually filing legislation...

D?Alemberte Petitions for Innocence Commission in Florida

Posted on December 16, 2009
That's the title of a Florida News Service report from the Monday edition of the Jacksonville Observer. LINK Former American Bar Association President and prominent Tallahassee lawyer Sandy D?Alemberte filed a petition with the Florida Supreme Court Friday asking it...

3rd Circuit Hearing on Delaware's Lethal Injection Procedure

Posted on December 16, 2009
"Delaware courts: Appeals Court to hear suit on execution procedures," is the title of Sean O'Sullivan's report at Delaware Online. The class-action lawsuit that has been holding up executions in Delaware for more than three years will be headed to...

Kentucky Puts Forth Execution Protocol

Posted on December 16, 2009
"State releases plan for execution procedure," is the title of Brett Barrouquere's AP report via the Louisville Courier-Journal. Kentucky released its execution protocols for the first time Wednesday, and the public and legislators will get a chance to comment on...

Questions Surface After Texas Execution

Posted on December 15, 2009
That's the title of an OpEd written for Colorado's Durango Herald by Dr. Carol Huser, a forensic pathologist and the La Plata County corone. It appeared in the Monday edition. LINK A few weeks before Willingham's scheduled execution in February...

Tarrant County Medical Examiner Appointed to Forensic Science Commission

Posted on December 15, 2009
The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports, "Tarrant medical examiner appointed to state forensic commission," by Alex Branch and Dave Montgomery. Tarrant County Medical Examiner Nizam Peerwani was appointed Monday to the Texas Forensic Science Commission, the group that fell into controversy...

Diane Jennings Looks at the Commission on Judicial Conduct

Posted on December 14, 2009
Her report in today's Dallas Morning News is titled, "State Commission on Judicial Conduct has the job of judging Texas' judges." It's a must-read: A judge in Houston cleans his gun during a murder trial. A Dallas judge fails to...

Fewer Texas Inmates Sentenced to Death

Posted on December 14, 2009
That's the title of a McClatchy News Service report in today's Los Angeles Times. LINK While the debate over capital punishment rages in Texas, the number of inmates sentenced to death row in 2009 is at a 35-year low. Prosecutors...

An Examination of Death Penalty Costs in Lubbock

Posted on December 14, 2009
Logan Carver writes, "Death penalty cases more expensive than lifetime imprisonment, but local CDA says cost never a consideration." It appeared in the Sunday edition of the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. Here's an extended excerpt: Legal experts and trial attorneys agree that...

There Is No 'Humane' Execution

Posted on December 14, 2009
That's the title of an editorial in today's New York Times. LINK This is what passes for progress in the application of the death penalty: Kenneth Biros, a convicted murderer, was put to death in Ohio last week with one...

The Virginia Pilot Examination of Capital Costs

Posted on December 11, 2009
"Virginia's budget woes slow down capital case," is the title of Shawn Day's report. It appeared in the Monday edition. In the 18 months since he took the helm of the Richmond area capital defender?s office, David Baugh said he...

Editorial Roundup

Posted on December 11, 2009
Shortly after midnight, Indiana executed Eric Wrinkles, who had waived his appeals. Today's Fort Wayne News-Sentinel carries the editorial, 'If punishment doesn't deter, is it still morally acceptable to use it?" Eric Wrinkles is dead, put to death by the...

Religion and the Supreme Court

Posted on December 11, 2009
Dahlia Lithwick's Slate column is titled, "Articles of Faith: Why Americans can't talk about religion and the Supreme Court." When Justice John Paul Stevens, who is 89, retires?and he's expected to in the next year or so?there will be no...

A New Initiative From Sandra Day O'Connor

Posted on December 11, 2009
"O'Connor Helps Launch New Initiative Against Judicial Elections," ," is the title of Jordan Weissmann's National Law Journal report. Since retiring from the high bench, former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor has repeatedly advocated against the use of...

The Cruelty of Death Row

Posted on December 11, 2009
That's the title of commentary in the Guardian today, written by columnist Alexander Chancellor. It has the subhead, "In the US, murderers are executed - so it's odd that Americans think their justice system is superior to all other." As...

A Conflicting Deterrence Study

Posted on December 10, 2009
The Science blog at USA Today has, "Study: Executions might slightly lower homicide rates," posted by Dan Vergano. Executions in Texas slightly lower homicide rates there, about five to 10 killings in the year afterwards, suggest criminologists.The executions also may...

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