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: Capital Defense Weekly

Withering on the vine?

By Karl R. Keys, Esq.

Two divergent sources, same analysis, capital punishment is dying. Campus Progress notes: Last year, New Jersey became the first state to outright abolish its death penalty since 1965. And despite upholding the constitutionality of Kentucky?s lethal injection procedure in April of this year, in June the Supreme Court concluded the execution of child rapists is illegal. By all outward appearances, the death penalty in the United States faces an uncertain future. Ever since the Supreme Court reinstated capital punishment in 1976?s Gregg v. Georgia, its use has been gradually restricted. In 2007, 42 inmates were executed, down from a post-Gregg high of 98 in 1999. Fourteen states and the District of Columbia don?t have death penalty statutes; 3 more (Excel doc) haven?t executed anyone in four decades...continue to full post

Full post as published by Capital Defense Weekly on October 26, 2008 (boomark / email).