PASSAGE ONE OF THE DAY: "Two more names were added to the disgustingly long list of death row exonerations this year. Both of those people served over 40 years for crimes they did not commit but thankfully were spared before it was too late. Others were not so lucky. Ray Cromartie in Georgia, Dominique Ray in Alabama, and Larry Swearingen in Texas were executed this year. Each had significant innocence claims that their respective states refused to examine. James Dailey in Florida and Rodney Reed in Texas have been temporarily spared execution but are still fighting to have evidence tested that could prove their innocence. It’s hard to remember a year with so many potentially innocent people either executed or slated for death by the state."
PASSAGE TWO OF THE DAY: "Of the 22 executions the country did carry out this year, not one of them was without significant problems. Far from executing the “worst of the worst” (whatever that means — are some murders worse than others?), the states instead executed people with severe mental illnesses and traumatic brain injuries, intellectually disabled people (that’s not supposed to happen anymore but it does), and individuals who themselves were victims of chronic abuse and trauma. Lastly, fewer than one percent of all U.S. counties imposed death sentences this year, and only two counties in the entire nation imposed more than one. Riverside, in California, and Cuyahoga, in Ohio, might want to do some digging into just how much their local district attorneys are wasting on death penalty cases. Research suggests that each case can run millions more than non-capital cases, without providing any deterrent effect or meaningful impact on the crime rate. We’re running the death penalty down. Considering the ground we gained in 2019 and the rest of the decade, the 2020’s should officially be on notice. This won’t stand."
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COMMENTARY: "In 2019, America continued to repeal the death penalty," by Hannah Cox, published by Newsmax on December 30, 2019. (Hannah Cox is the National Manager of Conservatives Concerned About the Death Penalty.)
In my work, the gains come slowly, and persistence is key. But an
excellent way of measuring our impact is through the Death Penalty
Information Center’s Year-End Report, which examines trends in capital
punishment in the U.S. The year flew by in a whirlwind of testimonies, clemency appeals,
articles, and speeches, and — as the report shows — those winds
continued to knock down the death penalty. Two more states took massive action against the death penalty this year. New Hampshire repealed its system outright through the legislature, the 21st to wipe capital punishment off its books. Meanwhile, California is now the fourth state — and the biggest — to have an executive moratorium. That means that 32 states now have either no death penalty or they
haven’t executed anyone in over ten years. The few outlier states still
actively operating this system are heavily concentrated in the Deep
South, commonly referred to as the “Bible Belt.” Nine other states had Republican-sponsored bills to end the death penalty in 2019 — one of which very nearly passed in Wyoming. Not only that, but new death sentences and executions remain at
historic lows for the fifth year in a row, backing up a recent Gallup
poll that found 60% of Americans now support life in prison without
parole over the death penalty. Two more names were added to the disgustingly long list of death row
exonerations this year. Both of those people served over 40 years for
crimes they did not commit but thankfully were spared before it was too
late. Others were not so lucky. Ray Cromartie in Georgia, Dominique Ray in
Alabama, and Larry Swearingen in Texas were executed this year. Each had
significant innocence claims that their respective states refused to
examine. James Dailey in Florida and Rodney Reed in Texas have been
temporarily spared execution but are still fighting to have evidence
tested that could prove their innocence. It’s hard to remember a year
with so many potentially innocent people either executed or slated for
death by the state. Of the 22 executions the country did carry out this year, not one of them was without significant problems. Far from executing the “worst of the worst” (whatever that means —
are some murders worse than others?), the states instead executed people
with severe mental illnesses and traumatic brain injuries,
intellectually disabled people (that’s not supposed to happen anymore
but it does), and individuals who themselves were victims of chronic
abuse and trauma. Lastly, fewer than one percent of all U.S. counties imposed death
sentences this year, and only two counties in the entire nation imposed
more than one. Riverside, in California, and Cuyahoga, in Ohio, might want to do
some digging into just how much their local district attorneys are
wasting on death penalty cases. Research suggests that each case can run
millions more than non-capital cases, without providing any deterrent
effect or meaningful impact on the crime rate. We’re running the death penalty down. Considering the ground we
gained in 2019 and the rest of the decade, the 2020’s should officially
be on notice. This won’t stand."
The entire commentary can be read at:
The entire commentary can be read at:
PUBLISHER'S NOTE: I am monitoring this case/issue. Keep your eye on the Charles Smith Blog for reports on developments. The Toronto Star, my previous employer for more than twenty incredible years, has put considerable effort into exposing the harm caused by Dr. Charles Smith and his protectors - and into pushing for reform of Ontario's forensic pediatric pathology system. The Star has a "topic" section which focuses on recent stories related to Dr. Charles Smith. It can be found at: http://www.thestar.com/topic/charlessmith. Information on "The Charles Smith Blog Award"- and its nomination process - can be found at: http://smithforensic.blogspot.com/2011/05/charles-smith-blog-award-nominations.html Please send any comments or information on other cases and issues of interest to the readers of this blog to: hlevy15@gmail.com. Harold Levy: Publisher: The Charles Smith Blog;
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FINAL WORD: (Applicable to all of our wrongful conviction cases): "Whenever there is a wrongful conviction, it exposes errors in our criminal legal system, and we hope that this case — and lessons from it — can prevent future injustices.""
Lawyer Radha Natarajan:
20191230-gqdpvy3q4zgatdf6yvjrel6luy-story.html
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