executions

Hamilton Nolan · 04/06/16 10:40AM

Though the death penalty is in serious decline in America, the same is not true worldwide: Amnesty International reports a 54% rise in executions globally in 2015, driven by increases in Iran, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia. Dang.

Veterans and the Death Penalty

Hamilton Nolan · 11/10/15 09:00AM

Tomorrow is Veterans Day. Spare a thought for the hundreds of veterans currently sitting on death row somewhere in America.

Hamilton Nolan · 04/03/15 10:00AM

The American Pharmacists Association has put in place an official ban on members participating in lethal injections or other executions, saying "such activities are fundamentally contrary to the role of pharmacists as healthcare providers."

Hamilton Nolan · 03/16/15 11:45AM

The state of Texas is scheduled to use its last dose of the lethal injection drug pentobarbital on Wednesday, leaving its ability to carry out several upcoming scheduled executions in question. The drug shortage comes too late for some people.

The Death Penalty Is Slowly Dying

Hamilton Nolan · 12/18/14 11:40AM

The persistence of capital punishment in some American states is cause for disgust. There is some good news, though: the death penalty is on the decline. These year end numbers prove it.

Hamilton Nolan · 12/09/14 04:30PM

Robert Wayne Holsey, an intellectually disabled man who was represented at trial by an active alcoholic, is scheduled to be executed at 7 p.m. by the state of Georgia unless the U.S. Supreme Court steps in. His final petition for his life can be seen here.

Michelle Dean · 08/25/14 01:53PM

The Guardian US and the Oklahoma Observer filed suit today in an Oklahoma federal court today, demanding greater access to witness executions. They claim a First Amendment right to see more of the procedure, including the IV insertion, which was allegedly botched in Clayton Lockett's execution.

Michelle Dean · 08/21/14 11:50AM

Texas Monthly's Pamela Colloff has a new and excellent story out about a woman who, first as a journalist and then as part of the Texas corrections system's public relations apparatus, witnessed 278 executions. Go read it.

Joseph Wood's Execution in Arizona Lasted Nearly Two Hours

Aleksander Chan · 07/23/14 07:00PM

Joseph Rudolph Wood's execution in Arizona on Wednesday afternoon took nearly two hours after the lethal injection began. His lawyers, claiming that their client was gasping and snorting for an hour, filed an emergency appeal to have the execution stopped. Wood died before a court could act.