Capital Punishment
Capital Punishment is a profoundly complex and controversial aspect of the criminal justice system. This section provides articles that explore the history, legal frameworks, and ethical debates surrounding Capital Punishment in various jurisdictions. Correctional professionals can gain insights into the procedures, implications, and ongoing discussions about using the death penalty. Understanding Capital Punishment is crucial for those involved in its administration and those engaged in broader criminal justice reform efforts. For further context, explore related topics on supermax prisons.
Mikal Mahdi admitted to shooting Orangeburg Officer James Myers eight times before burning his body in a shed in 2004
Ishmael Petty, already serving life for a prior inmate murder, is charged in a second prison homicide at ADX Florence in 2020
The SCI-Somerset attack on Sgt. Mark Baserman, captured on video, showed a calculated assault that prosecutors called “cold-hearted” and fit for capital punishment
Sgt. Mark Baserman died of brain injuries after being kicked and punched in a 2018 attack at SCI-Somerset; a panel of 12 jurors will decide if the inmate should face the death penalty
Dwight Eaglin, who killed Corrections Officer Darla Lathrem and an inmate during a failed escape, will face a new sentencing phase under Florida’s revised death penalty law
Under the plan, Ohio prisons would be directed to pursue lethal injection drugs in partnership with the DOJ and provide twice-yearly progress reports
Mikal Mahdi was sentenced to death for the 2004 killing of Orangeburg Officer James Myers, whom he ambushed and shot at least eight times
The change comes after a failed IV placement delayed the scheduled execution of a convicted killer in 2023
Rafael Caro Quintero, extradited from Mexico in 2022, appeared in Brooklyn court as feds weigh capital charges for the torture and murder of Agent Enrique Camarena
New DA Nathan Hochman reverses former DA George Gascón’s directive, citing the need for accountability in the most extreme murder cases
Lethal injection remains the most common method in the U.S., but states are increasingly exploring alternatives due to drug shortages and legal challenges
In late 2024, Aaron Gunches asked the Arizona Supreme Court to schedule his execution as soon as possible, saying his death sentence was “long overdue”
The state had not carried out an execution in 15 years due to legal challenges and difficulties obtaining lethal injection drugs
Brad Sigmon, who killed his ex-girlfriend’s parents with a baseball bat, was shot by three volunteer Broad River Correctional Institution employees
Five states authorize firing squads, though the method has been used only three times in the past five decades
The justices ruled prosecutors withheld evidence and failed to correct false testimony in Richard Glossip’s murder trial for the 1997 killing of his former boss
Only three inmates in the U.S. have been executed by firing squad since 1976 — all were in Utah, with the last one taking place in 2010
Michael Nance argued that his medical conditions make lethal injection inhumane, but a federal judge ruled the method does not create unconstitutional suffering
The couple’s toddler, strapped in a car seat, witnessed the attack and survived 18 hours alone before workers found the crime scene
The Federal Bureau of Prisons was directed to transfer inmate George John Hanson to be executed for his role in the 1999 kidnapping and killing of a 77-year-old woman
Demetrius Frazier, who was also serving a life sentence in Michigan for a separate murder, was transferred to Alabama’s death row in 2011
The Oklahoma attorney general requested the transfer after President Donald Trump directed the DOJ to ensure states have enough lethal injection drugs to carry out executions
President Donald Trump’s directive prioritizes the death penalty “regardless of other factors” when the case involves the killing of a law enforcement officer
Ex-New Orleans cop Len Davis was sentenced to death after he was convicted of ordering a woman killed in 1994 after she alleged he and his partner beat a young boy
Aaron Brian Gunches, who is representing himself, said his death sentence is “long overdue” and asked the state’s highest court to skip legal formalities
North Carolina had 136 offenders on death row before Gov. Roy Cooper reduced the state’s death row population by more than 10%
TDOC said it had “completed its revision of the lethal injection protocol, which will utilize the single drug pentobarbital”
Trump said relatives of victims are angry that Biden spared the lives of some of the “worst killers in our country,” including inmates convicted of killing police and military officers
Those whose lives were spared by the move include those convicted in the killings of police and military officers and the killings of correctional officers or prisoners in federal facilities
