Death Penalty Focus, John Fugelsang, Scott Dozier, Alvogen filed complaint citing Nevada Department of Corrections illegally obtained drug for the execution, Bobby James Moore,Robert Lewis, Jr.,Kevin Cooper,Japan Executes Seven Men in One Day

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Nevada Plans to Kill Condemned Prisoner with Fentanyl & Drug Linked to Botched Executions... Democracy Now!

Texas will execute Chris Young, a man who has been on death row since 2006 after being convicted of murder at age 21. In the twelve years since Chris has been on death row, he has become a role model for his two daughters, as well as an active member of his community, inspiring others to avoid his same mistakes. The Texas Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty started this petition to gather support for commuting his sentence. Just yesterday, rapper and activist Common joined the fight for Chris’ life and implored his 5.5million Twitter followers to support Chris in his bid for clemency. Even the victim’s son, Mitesh Patel, does not want Chris to die. He does not want Chris’ daughters to grow up without a father like he did. Like Chris did. The man who will be executed at the hands of the State of Texas is no longer the angry, rash young man who took the life of an innocent convenience store owner in 2004. Chris’ daughters deserve to have their loving father in their lives. If you agree that killing Chris will only continue the vicious cycle of returning violence with violence, urge the The Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles to commute his sentence and sign this petition.

Texas High Court Upholds Bobby James Moore’s Death Sentence Bobby James Moore will not be leaving Texas’ death row any time soon. On Wednesday, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals ruled that Moore is not too intellectually disabled to be executed.

CA Supreme Court Overturns Death Sentence of Intellectually Disabled Man When the California Supreme Court unanimously ruled to overturn the death sentence of Robert Lewis, Jr. late last month it “set a strong precedent on Atkins law,” his attorney said. Read More »

The “Outrageous” Case of Kevin Cooper “In 34 years at The New York Times, I’ve never come across a case in America as outrageous as Kevin Cooper’s.” So wrote NY Times columnist Nicholas Kristof in an exhaustively researched and eloquent argument to give Cooper, who’s been on California’s death row for 33 years, an innocence hearing and advanced DNA test. Read More »

CDCR’s Lethal Injection Protocol Successfully Challenged The ACLU of Northern California won a round in court late last month when a Marin County Superior Court judge ruled that its challenge to California’s new lethal injection protocol could go forward. Read More »

In Brief: June 2018 The South dominated death penalty news in the past few weeks, with states including Alabama, South Dakota, and Texas all actively tinkering with the machinery of death. Read More »

Gov. Brown to Consider Kevin Cooper’s Innocence Petition Two-and-a-half years ago, Kevin Cooper’s lawyer submitted to California Gov. Jerry Brown a clemency petition, pleading for advanced DNA testing of evidence from the quadruple murder that sent Cooper to death row in 1985. Last week, Brown finally responded. Read More »

DA Elections: “We’re Taking From the Shadows a Vitally Important Elected Position” There were a number of important DA races in last month's Primary Election. We cover some of key campaigns in California and speak to Miriam Krinsky, a former federal prosecutor who works with newly elected district attorneys to promote a justice system grounded in fairness and compassion. Read More »

Pennsylvania’s Broken Death Penalty Almost five years after it was due, a state commission appointed to study Pennsylvania’s death penalty system finally released its report late last month. Its conclusion was not surprising. Read More »

Two Death Row Prisoners; Two Classic Clemency Cases Next Tuesday, 34-year-old Chris Young is scheduled to be executed in Texas for the murder of 55-year-old convenience store owner Hasmukhbhai Patel. Exactly three months later, on October 17, Ohio plans to execute 61-year-old Raymond Tibbetts for killing Fred Hicks in 1997. Very different men with very different stories, but with one important similarity: both deserve clemency. Read More »

Japan Executes Seven Men in One Day Last Friday, Japan executed doomsday cult leader Shoko Asahara and his six followers. But, as Japanese criminal lawyer Takehiko Kawame explains, while the number executed in one day was shocking, the protocol itself was standard operating procedure in Japan. Read More »

In Brief: July 2018 Texas and Tennessee dominated death penalty news in the past few weeks, with states including Nevada, Ohio, and Arkansas all actively tinkering with the machinery of death. Read More »

While We’re on the Subject . . . Some of the best writing about criminal justice recently included a NY Times op-ed by defense attorney Nina Morrison about the justice system’s failure to hold rogue prosecutors accountable, and an interview with Issac J. Bailey about his new book, My Brother Moochie. Read More »

Death Penalty Focus
Fall 2018 Southern California Event

SAVE THE DATE
September 23, 2018
2 - 5 p.m.

Delancey Street Foundation
400 N Vermont Ave.
Los Angeles, CA  90004

Join us in

FIGHTING FOR THEIR LIVES

Master of Ceremonies: John Fugelsang

Hear Kevin Cooper speak from San Quentin’s death row
Meet Gary Tyler, who was sent to Angola Prison’s death row at 16
and freed after 41 years for a crime he did not commit

Hosted by DPF President Mike Farrell
With Remarks by New DPF Executive Director Magdaleno “Leno” Rose-Avila
With an Introduction by Nicole Gutierrez

Additional Guests to Be Announced
Ticket and Sponsorship Information Coming Soon