ABA Calls for Moratorium on Death Penalty
By Jeralyn, Section Death Penalty
Posted on Mon Oct 29, 2007 at 06:47:00 AM EST
Tags: death penalty, moratorium (all tags)
Posted on Mon Oct 29, 2007 at 06:47:00 AM EST
Tags: death penalty, moratorium (all tags)
In a report released today, the American Bar Association is calling for a moratorium on executions in the U.S.
The ABA studied the death penalties in 8 states. It found:
- Spotty collection and preservation of DNA evidence, which has been used to exonerate more than 200 inmates;
- Misidentification by eyewitnesses;
- False confessions from defendants; and
- Persistent racial disparities that make death sentences more likely when victims are white.
It's conclusion:
"After carefully studying the way states across the spectrum handle executions, it has become crystal clear that the process is deeply flawed," said Stephen F. Hanlon, chairman of the ABA Death Penalty Moratorium Implementation Project. "The death penalty system is rife with irregularity."
I'll update with a link to the report when it's available.
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