New Report Documents Rise in Arrests and Mistreatment of Homeless People
July 24, 2009More people are being arrested for living on the streets as homelessness rises, says the National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty (NLCHP) in its latest report, Homes Not Handcuffs. The report details how police in 273 cities nationwide are targeting people who have lost their homes and are forced to seek shelter in public places.
State of Alabama Pardons Former EJI Client Mack Kirby
July 17, 2009On July 8, 2009, the Alabama Board of Pardons and Paroles issued a formal pardon for former prisoner Mack Kirby. The Board’s decision, which was unanimous, restores Mr. Kirby’s voting rights and ends his parole supervision.
ABA President Calls for Reform of Alabama’s Death Penalty
July 12, 2009H. Thomas Wells Jr., president of the American Bar Association and a partner in the Birmingham office of Maynard, Cooper and Gale, called for a thorough, government-sponsored study of state's death penalty system to address much-needed reforms in how Alabama imposes capital punishment.
Mentally Retarded Former Death Row Prisoner Glenn Holladay Sentenced to Life Without Parole
July 6, 2009On June 26, 2009, Etowah County Circuit Judge Allen Millican sentenced Glenn Holladay to life imprisonment without possibility of parole. The Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals overturned Mr. Holladay’s death sentence earlier this year, ruling that Mr. Holladay cannot be executed because he is mentally retarded.
U.S. Supreme Court Holds Defendants Have Right to Question Forensic Witnesses
July 2, 2009On June 25, 2009, the United States Supreme Court held that prosecutors cannot use forensic reports as evidence in a criminal trial without giving the defendant a chance to question the analyst who prepared the report. The decision reaffirms the Sixth Amendment right of criminal defendants to confront witnesses against them.
U.S. Supreme Court Says Prisoners Have No Right to Test DNA Evidence That Could Exonerate Them
June 25, 2009On June 18, 2009, the United States Supreme Court held that prisoners have no right to obtain DNA evidence for testing that could prove they are innocent, even if the prisoner pays for the testing himself.
State of Alabama Executes Jack Trawick
June 11, 2009Tonight Jack Trawick was executed by the State of Alabama. Mr. Trawick was convicted and sentenced to death in Jefferson County, Alabama, for the 1992 sexual assault and murder of Stephanie Gach. Mr. Trawick was the fifth person put to death by the State of Alabama this year.
EJI Director Bryan Stevenson Wins Gruber Justice Prize
June 11, 2009On June 10, 2009, the Peter and Patricia Gruber Foundation announced that it will award its 2009 Justice Prize to EJI Executive Director Bryan Stevenson and to the European Roma Rights Centre for their "tireless advocacy of human rights for individuals belonging to oppressed groups that historically have not had an effective voice in, or access to, the justice system."
Alabama Passes Bill Restricting Access to DNA Testing for Death Row Prisoners
June 5, 2009Alabama lawmakers recently passed a new law that requires the state to collect DNA samples from everyone who is arrested for a felony, including children. The law, which passed on the last day of the recently-concluded legislative session, also restricts access to DNA testing for people convicted of a capital offense and reduces the opportunity for a wrongfully convicted person to prove his innocence through DNA evidence.
Gadsden Times Editorial Urges State of Alabama to Rethink Death Penalty
June 4, 2009The editorial board of the Gadsden Times, which has in the past argued for capital punishment, urged the State of Alabama to suspend executions and reconsider whether the death penalty is worth the high financial cost.
