May 27 Watch Supreme Court overturns Florida's rigid IQ cutoff for death penalty eligibility By PBS News Hour The Supreme Court voted 5-4 to overturn a Florida rule that used an IQ score of 70 as the determining factor in deeming individuals mentally fit for execution. For a closer look at the decision, Judy Woodruff talks to Marcia… Continue watching
May 23 Tennessee turns back to the electric chair By Sarah Corapi Amid scrutiny over a botched Oklahoma execution last month and a nationwide shortage of lethal injection drugs, a back-up method for carrying out death sentences has gotten the green light in Tennessee: the electric chair. Continue reading
May 15 Media organizations launch lawsuit over Missouri lethal injection secrecy By Justin Scuiletti The Associated Press, The Guardian U.S., The Kansas City Star, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and the Springfield News-Leader filed a lawsuit against the Missouri Department of Corrections Thursday, claiming that the state’s secrecy in procuring lethal injection drugs prevents public… Continue reading
May 07 Criminal justice experts recommend single drug for executions By Ellen Rolfes A bipartisan group of death penalty opponents and proponents can agree on this: when it comes to carrying out a death sentence, states should only use U.S. government-approved single-drug cocktails. That is just one of the several recommended reforms outlined… Continue reading
Apr 30 Watch Botched execution in Oklahoma raises questions about lethal injection process By PBS News Hour Continue watching
Apr 30 Botched execution renews debate over lethal injection procedure By Margaret Myers A botched execution of an Oklahoma inmate Tuesday night has renewed attention among opponents of the death penalty on the source of the drugs used to carry out the procedure. Continue reading
Apr 16 Texas gubernatorial candidate faces thorny death penalty choice By Paul J. Weber, Associated Press The death penalty is like gun rights in Texas politics: Candidates don't dare get in the way of either. But Republican Greg Abbott, the favorite to succeed Gov. Rick Perry, must soon make a decision as attorney general that could… Continue reading
Mar 03 Supreme Court considers state IQ guidelines for executions By Mark Sherman, Associated Press The case being argued Monday at the court centers on how authorities determine who is eligible to be put to death, 12 years after the justices prohibited the execution of the mentally disabled. Continue reading
Feb 11 Washington's governor: 'During my term, we will not be executing people' By Zachary Treu The death penalty will be suspended in Washington state for at least the next three years, first-term governor Jay Inslee announced Tuesday. “During my term, we will not be executing people,” Inslee said during a news conference. The governor… Continue reading
Jan 17 Ohio man's execution takes 25 minutes, sparking controversy By News Desk A 2009 photo shows an execution room at the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility in Lucasville. Photo by Getty Images An Ohio man on death row took more than 25 minutes to die in an execution on Thursday… Continue reading