New Online Death Penalty Curriculum

News Update 5.15.07

North Carolina

Nothing to report.

Elsewhere

The Death Penalty Information Center has launched an exciting new project called Capital Punishment in Context. CPIC is a free online college-level curriculum anyone can use to gain a deeper understanding of the death penalty.

Capital Punishment in Context is designed to supplement a variety of college courses. It contains cases of individuals who were sentenced to death in the United States. Each case presents a narrative account of the individual’s crime, trial and punishment, along with guidelines for analysis, discussion and further research on issues raised by the case. The narratives are supplemented by resources such as original police reports from the homicide investigation and transcripts of witness’ testimony. After reading the case, you can further explore issues by following a series of links to additional information. Each case, with its related materials, opens a path through the criminal justice system.

Capital Punishment in Context contains video interviews with key figures in the case, such as attorneys, jurors and witnesses. There are also videos featuring legal experts, illuminating such complex subjects as the capital trial and appeals process. Along with the links to primary source materials, these videos add richness and depth to the cases.

In Tennessee, the state medical examiner’s office is still fighting Philip Workman’s family for custody of his body. According to the article, “The state medical examiner’s office has said it wants to perform the autopsy and obtain blood and other fluids from Workman’s body to confirm that the three-drug lethal injection cocktail was properly administered and did not amount to cruel and unusual punishment.” Isn’t it a little late to worry about the constitutionality of the execution when the inmate is already dead?

Information on yesterday’s Supreme Court decision in Schriro v. Landrigan can be found here and here. In brief, the primary issue before the Court related to the Anti-Terrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996, but the issue gaining the most attention is whether a defendant, by voicing opposition to the presentation of mitigating evidence at trial, waives all later claims of ineffective assistance of counsel for failing to adequately investigate mitigation. Despite prior decisions that would indicate otherwise, five justices said yes.