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death penalty Stay of execution Texas U.S. Supreme Court

First Texas Execution of 2011 Postponed

On January 11, Cleve Foster, the first person scheduled to be executed in Texas in 2011, received a last-minute stay from the U.S. Supreme Court.  He was convicted of the […]

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abolishment death penalty Illinois legislation

Breaking News: Illinois Legislature Abolishes the Death Penalty

Today, the Illinois Senate passed legislation to abolish the death penalty!  The vote was 32 for, 25 against, with 2 voting present. Last week the Illinois House of Representatives passed the […]

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death penalty exoneration Houston Chronicle Texas wrongful execution Wrongfully Convicted

Houston Chronicle Calls for Abolition of the Death Penalty

The editors of the Houston Chronicle began the new year with a call to end the death penalty in Texas.  In an editorial that appeared on January 1, 2011, “It’s […]

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Dead Man Walking death penalty Houston Religious Leaders

Religious Leader’s Dialogue on the Death Penalty – Houston

On January 18, 2011, a panel of Houston’s religious leaders will participate in “The Dialogue of Religious Leaders on the Death Penalty” at the Hobby Center’s Zilkha Hall in downtown Houston. This unprecedented event precedes the Houston Grand Opera’s performances of the award-winning Dead Man Walking Opera January 22- February 7, 2011.

Please join us for this special event aimed at heightening the awareness of death penalty issues in Houston and starting the conversation that moves us forward. More info and RSVP today!

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death penalty Death Penalty Information Center death sentences executions

National Drop in Executions, Death Sentences, According to Year-End Report from DPIC

Today, December 21, 2010, the Death Penalty Information Center (DPIC) released its year-end report on death penalty developments nationwide. The report chronicles the drop in executions this year and the continued low number of new death sentences nationwide (and in Texas).

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Annual Report Cameron Todd Willingham Claude Jones death penalty death sentences executions Hank Skinner jury rejection TCADP Texas wrongful execution Wrongfully Convicted

TCADP Annual Report: Only 2% of Texas Counties Imposed Death Sentences This Year

Today, December 13, 2010, the Texas Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty (TCADP) released its annual report, Texas Death Penalty Developments in 2010: The Year in Review. TCADP releases this annual report each December in conjunction with the anniversary of the resumption of executions in Texas in 1982.

According to the report, death sentences in Texas have dropped more than 70% since 2003, reaching a historic low in 2010. Juries condemned eight new individuals to death in Texas in 2010, the lowest number of new death sentences since the U.S. Supreme Court upheld Texas’ revised death penalty statute in 1976.

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death penalty Life in prison without parole public opinion

National Poll Finds Changing Attitudes Toward Death Penalty

Earlier this week, the Death Penalty Information Center (DPIC) published the results of a national poll about Americans’ views on the death penalty.  Here are some of the key findings: […]

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Claude Jones death penalty DNA testing execution Texas

Breaking News in the Case of Claude Jones

The Texas Observer is reporting today on the results of DNA testing of evidence that was used to convict and execute Claude Jones on December 7, 2000. The one-inch strand […]