death-penalty

A Brief History of Botched Executions in America

Michelle Dean · 04/30/14 12:40PM

First things first: The crime that brought Clayton Lockett to Oklahoma's death chamber did not present a hard case, as violent murders go. Lockett was sentenced to death almost 15 years ago for the murder of 19-year-old Stephanie Neiman, who he shot and then, with friends, buried alive off a country road. His guilt was not in dispute in his final set of appeals. The arguments were all focussed on the way he was going to die, about the sources and kinds of drugs that were going to kill him.

Only White People Support the Death Penalty

Hamilton Nolan · 03/28/14 11:53AM

In a month that has seen the exoneration of both the world's and our nation's longest-serving death row inmates, it is worth asking: where the hell does all the support for the death penalty come from? The answer may not surprise you.

Hamilton Nolan · 03/12/14 12:34PM

Louisiana prisoner Glenn Ford has been exonerated and released after 30 years on death row, a fact that should make our entire nation queasy.

The Brother of Ray Jasper's Victim Shares His Story

Hamilton Nolan · 03/05/14 11:23AM

Yesterday, we shared a letter from Texas death row inmate Ray Jasper, who is scheduled to be executed this month. Jasper was convicted of participating in the 1998 murder of a man named David Alejandro. Today, David Alejandro's brother Steven shares his own perspective on Ray Jasper, the trial, and the death penalty.

More Evidence That Texas Wrongfully Executed a Man

Hamilton Nolan · 02/28/14 12:13PM

In 2004, the state of Texas executed Cameron Todd Willingham for the crime of setting fire to his own house, killing his three children. Today, evidence is stronger than ever that his conviction was a miscarriage of justice.

Hamilton Nolan · 02/11/14 03:12PM

The governor of Washington has suspended the death penalty in his state, citing "too many flaws in this system."

The Electric Chair Could Soon Make a Comeback

Hamilton Nolan · 02/05/14 11:46AM

For reasons unfathomable to mortal man, the United States is unable to secure a supply of drugs to use to lethally inject into its own citizens. Therefore, one of our states may now bring back the electric chair as a mandatory punishment. The year is 2014.

America Is Gradually Becoming Less Bloodthirsty

Hamilton Nolan · 12/19/13 11:29AM

America's embrace of the death penalty makes us a gross anomaly in the developed world. The good news is that we seem to be growing less and less fond of it. The newest numbers are (relatively) encouraging.

How Low an IQ Is Too Low to Be Executed?

Hamilton Nolan · 10/22/13 09:37AM

The Supreme Court is set to review the case of Freddie Lee Hall, a mentally retarded man in Florida who was sentenced to death for participating in a rape, robbery, and two murders. They tackle two main questions: How high an IQ should be necessary for capital punishment? And is IQ measurement even precise enough to be used in cases like this?