[Deathpenalty] death penalty news-----USA, N.J.

[Rick Halperin]

Sept. 26


USA:

Capital Punishment in Each State


A state-by-state look at the status of capital punishment.

___

Ala.  Choice of lethal injection or electrocution.

Alaska  No death penalty.

Ariz.  Lethal injection with a choice of lethal gas for those sentenced
before November 1992.

Ark.  Lethal injection with a choice of electrocution for those sentenced
before July 4, 1983. One execution was halted by a federal judge to allow
the inmate to challenge use of lethal injection.

Calif.  Choice of lethal injection or lethal gas. Executions have been
effectively halted due to issues surrounding lethal injections.

Colo.  Lethal injection.

Conn.  Lethal injection.

Del.  Lethal injection with a choice of hanging for those sentenced before
June 13, 1986. Executions have been effectively halted due to issues
surrounding lethal injections.

D.C.  No death penalty.

Fla.  Choice of lethal injection or electrocution. Executions have been
effectively halted due to issues surrounding lethal injections.

Ga.  Lethal injection.

Hawaii  No death penalty.

Idaho  Lethal injection or a firing squad if injection is "impractical."

Ill.  Lethal injection. The state has a formal moratorium on executions,
imposed by Gov. George Ryan in 2000.

Ind.  Lethal injection.

Iowa  No death penalty.

Kan.  Lethal injection.

Ky.  Lethal injection with a choice of electrocution for those sentenced
before June 1, 1998.

La.  Lethal injection.

Maine  No death penalty.

Md.  Lethal injection with a choice of lethal gas for those sentenced
before March 11, 1994. Executions have been effectively halted due to
issues surrounding lethal injections.

Mass.  No death penalty.

Mich.  No death penalty.

Minn.  No death penalty.

Miss.  Lethal injection.

Mo.  Statute allows for lethal injection or lethal gas. (Missouri has no
functioning gas chamber, however.)

Mont.  Lethal injection.

Neb.  Electrocution. Executions have been effectively halted due to a
challenge to the electrocution process.

Nev.  Lethal injection.

N.H.  Lethal injection or hanging if injection not possible.

N.J.  Lethal injection. The state has a formal moratorium on executions,
due to legislation passed in 2006. Previously, a 2004 decision by a state
appellate court had effectively halted executions.

N.M.  Lethal injection.

N.Y.  Lethal injection. The existing death penalty was declared
unconstitutional by the state's high court in 2004.

N.C.  Lethal injection. Executions have been effectively halted due to
issues surrounding lethal injections.

N.D.  No death penalty.

Ohio  Lethal injection. Executions have been effectively halted due to
issues surrounding lethal injections, although one was allowed to go
forward.

Okla.  Lethal injection with allowances for electrocution, then firing
squad should injection be deemed unconstitutional.

Ore.  Lethal injection.

Pa.  Lethal injection.

R.I.  No death penalty.

S.C.  Choice of lethal injection or electrocution.

S.D.  Lethal injection.

Tenn.  Lethal injection with a choice of electrocution for those sentenced
after January 1, 1999. Executions have been effectively halted due to
issues surrounding lethal injections, although one lethal injection
execution and one volunteer electrocution were allowed to go forward.

Texas-- Lethal injection.

Utah  Lethal injection with a choice of firing squad for those sentenced
before March 15, 2004.

Vt.  No death penalty.

Va.  Choice of lethal injection or electrocution.

Wash.  Choice of lethal injection or hanging.

W.Va.  No death penalty.

Wis.  No death penalty.

Wyo.  Lethal injection with allowance for lethal gas if injection found
unconstitutional.

[source: The Death Penalty Information Center.]

(source: Associated Press)






NEW JERSEY:

Death penalty examined during Constitution Day


The College's school of Culture and Society and the Pre-Law Advisory
Committee hosted a panel discussion on the death penalty for the College's
third annual Constitution Day on Tuesday, Sept. 18.

Each of the three panelists presented a brief lecture before they held a
joint discussion and fielded questions from the audience together. The
panel consisted of criminology professors Lynn Goedecke and Christopher
Totten, and professor of philosophy and religion Melinda Roberts.
Professor of political science Daryl Fair moderated the discussion.

The panel marks a shift in how the College recognizes Constitution Day,
which federal law mandates all publicly funded educational institutions
observe.

"We wanted to be more purposeful (in dealing with) constitutional issues,"
Susan Albertine, dean of the School of Culture and Society, said. "We want
to make the most of Constitution Day."

Goedecke detailed the need for continuing discussion and education on the
death penalty from the inhumanity of botched lethal injections to the
numbers of innocent and exonerated death row inmates.

"People are shocked to hear one person was exonerated who was on death
row," she said. "This doesn't enter people's minds." According to
Goedecke, 124 death row inmates have been exonerated since 1973, and in
that same time period, anywhere between seven and 123 innocent people have
been executed.

Goedecke also described the strange role medical professionals play in
state-sponsored executions. In Florida, she explained, doctors
participating in an execution are allowed to hide their identities by
wearing purple space suits, even wearing dark goggles under the tinted
face shield.

"Tinky Winky in a purple suit is coming after you with a needle," Goedecke
said.

Totten focused on the specific legal nuances, procedures and requirements
carried by the death penalty, specifically the standards set by the U.S.
Supreme Court. Totten explained it was only a few years ago when the
Supreme Court prohibited the execution of mentally insane, mentally
challenged and juvenile offenders. When compared to similar limitations
imposed by other countries, "It's somewhat incredulous the United States
put those (limitations) in so recently," Totten said.

As for why the United States has been comparatively slow in enacting those
restrictions, Totten suggested that the delay could be a result of our
system of government. "Ours is a system of federalism, for better or for
worse," Totten said.

Roberts examined the "connection between morality and how we read the
Constitution," and how "virtually any sequence of words can be read in a
variety of ways," she said. She also stressed the need for judiciaries to
look toward moral principles to guide interpretations of the law, and
balance them with the principles of democracy.

"The maze of death penalty cases the court will face in the next few
years, if they choose to, demands a principled approach," Roberts said.
"We're tinkering with the machinery of death ... We have to weigh a moral
principle on one hand and a respect for democracy on the other."

But she also emphasized the need to explore reasons why voters might
support the death penalty.

"We need to understand each other better than we do," Roberts said. "If it
isn't for the fun of killing another human being, (they) must have their
reasons."

After the panel, which drew an audience of approximately 50 students and
faculty members to the New Library Auditorium, Roberts expressed
satisfaction at the turnout, but even more pleasure at the level of
questions posed by the attendees. "The students' questions were
brilliant," Roberts said.

New Jersey, a state that hasn't executed anyone since 1963, currently has
11 inmates on death row

(source: The Signal)