After 200th death row exoneration, it’s time to end death penalty
This summer, the 200th prisoner was exonerated from death row. This shocking milestone teaches us that wherever the death penalty exists, innocent people are at risk of being wrongfully executed. In 2021, the Death Penalty Information Center dubbed this national reality an “innocence epidemic.”
Reimagining justice: Why the death penalty should be left in the past
Capital punishment is, and always has been, a hypocritical act that disproportionately affects marginalized communities. It punishes individuals whose circumstances are deeply rooted in systemic failures rather than personal shortcomings.
In January 2024, Ohio lawmakers proposed a bill that would allow execution by nitrogen gas asphyxiation — a method that deprives the body of oxygen and has been criticized by the U.N. Human Rights Officefor potentially violating treaties against cruel and inhumane punishment.
Last Week America Carried Out Its 1,600th Execution Since 1976. When Will the Madness Stop?
On Thursday night, Alan Miller became the second person put to death in Alabama using nitrogen hypoxia. Miller was convicted in the 1999 killing of three men, and this was his second trip to Alabama’s death chamber. The state had previously attempted to execute him by lethal injection in 2022.
With Miller’s death, this country has now executed 1,600 people since the United States Supreme Court revived capital punishment in its 1976 Gregg v. Georgia decision. The Washington Post rightly labeled the 1,600 mark “a grim milestone.”
U.S. reaches 1,600 executions since death penalty was reinstated
The United States reached a grim milestone Thursday for opponents of the death penalty.
Alan Eugene Miller was executed by Alabama’s controversial new nitrogen gas method. Miller’s death marks the fifth execution in the nation in the past week and the United States’ 1,600th in the modern era.
Ohio hasn’t executed anyone on death row since 2018. Here’s where the state’s cases stand
While it remains unlikely executions will resume in Ohio with Gov. Mike DeWine in office, the death penalty has received new attention following Tuesday’s execution of Marcellus Williams in Missouri.
Williams was executed by order of Missouri Gov. Mike Parson after a request for a stay was denied by the U.S. Supreme Court — despite pleas from advocates to spare the defendant, including the original prosecutor in his case, because he may have been innocent.
After 200 death row exonerations, will we finally put an end to the death penalty?
Last week brought new evidence of crippling flaws in America’s death penalty system. The number of people exonerated and freed from death row over the last 50 years reached 200.
Such flaws appear irreparable. They remind us of the damage that capital punishment does to some of our most important legal and political values. They offer powerful reasons as to why America should end the death penalty.
Death row exoneration shows U.S. capital punishment is ‘broken’
After the 200th death row exoneration in the United States since 1973 earlier this week, a Catholic organization that advocates against the death penalty is calling for an end to the “broken system of capital punishment” to ensure innocent people aren’t executed in the future.
“Because of the tireless efforts of faithful advocates and committed lawyers, 200 people have now been saved from the threat of execution after being sentenced to death,” Krisanne Vaillancourt Murphy, the executive director of Catholic Mobilizing Network, said in a July 3 statement.
Ohio Black Legislative Caucus advocates for the abolition of the death penalty
The Ohio Black Legislative Caucus members have been actively advocating to address and end capital punishment. They are shedding light on high-profile death penalty cases and the injustice that often leads to many incarcerated individuals not receiving a fair trial in the state.
OBLC is urging the House of Representatives and state Senate to pass bills that would repeal death penalty laws. These lawmakers want to prioritize improving rehabilitation over punishment and creating a system where every American receives a fair trial. The goal is not to overlook victims of horrific crimes but to allocate more resources to preventing innocent individuals from receiving the death penalty, especially those who did not commit a crime.
Move to abolish Ohio’s death penalty renewed
The Ohio Legislative Black Caucus gathered at the Capitol for a press conference in recognition of Juneteenth. Lawmakers addressed the theme “The Celebration of Liberation but How Free Are We?”
Senator Hearcel Craig recognized the day as “not only a day of liberation but also a day that compels us to reflect on our journey and renew our commitment to justice and equality…While progress has clearly been made, the vestiges of slavery persist with the disturbing and dangerous vitriol in racism and the assault of civil rights and voting rights.”
To conclude the press conference, OLBC President Terrence Upchurch reasserted the Caucus’ commitment to ending Ohio’s death penalty and forcefully called on his legislative colleagues to move bills that would repeal the death penalty laws.
Ohio Legislative Black Caucus pushes to end death penalty
The death penalty debate took center stage once again at the statehouse. Black lawmakers reasserted their commitment to ending the death penalty in Ohio.
The Ohio Legislative Black Caucus said it’s time to dismantle what they call a flawed system. They’re pushing for the State Senate and House of Representatives to pass bills that would repeal the state’s death penalty laws.