On Monday March 4th, SB 534 was introduced by Senate Federal and State Affairs Committee. It has been referred to Senate Judiciary. This bill contains the same faulty elements as HB 2782. The bill would provide for an option of hypoxia as an alternative execution method in Kansas. Hypoxia suffocates a person due to a lack of … [Read more...] about Senate Execution Method Bill Introduced
News
Kansas House Judiciary Hears Death Penalty Related Bill
HB 2782—Execution by Hypoxia+ Hearing: On February 8th the House Judiciary Committee introduced HB 2782 to provide an alternate method of execution, by infliction of hypoxia, and to also make changes in the legal process. The bill also would make changes in who chooses the drugs for lethal injection. The bill was requested by the Attorney General’s office. A … [Read more...] about Kansas House Judiciary Hears Death Penalty Related Bill
March 1st Christina Swarns: Justice Delayed is Democracy Denied
Christina Swarns, Executive Director of the Innocence Project, will speak at the March 1st Peace Lecture at Bethel College. The time is 7 p.m. and the location will be Memorial Hall. Her keynote title is "Justice Delayed is Democracy Denied". The next day she will participate in a keynote panel for the first ever Justice Symposium also at Bethel. There will be breakout … [Read more...] about March 1st Christina Swarns: Justice Delayed is Democracy Denied
KCADP Statement on Introduction of HB 2782 –Nitrogen asphyxiation execution
"The method of execution in Kansas is not the issue. The existence of the Kansas death penalty itself IS the issue. Kansas continues to waste taxpayer dollars, harm victim families and prison staff, risk the lives of the innocent, and violate the morals of many Kansans for a public policy built on vengeance. The time to end the Kansas death penalty is NOW." … [Read more...] about KCADP Statement on Introduction of HB 2782 –Nitrogen asphyxiation execution
Why Abolition Makes Sense
There are many practical reasons to support death penalty abolition in Kansas. They include the following: Cost: A 2014 study by the Kansas Judicial Council Death Penalty Advisory Committee found defense and district court costs are 3-4 times more for cases where the death penalty is sought than for similar cases where it is not sought. Even when … [Read more...] about Why Abolition Makes Sense
48 Legislators Sign on to Kansas Abolition Legislation!!!!
The growing Kansas legislative support for abolition was clear with the introduction of HB 2349 and SB 211 in February. In the House, Rep. Mark Schreiber and thirty three of his House colleagues sponsored HB 2349. Those co-sponsoring Representatives are: Amyx, Ballard, Blew, Carmichael, Concannon, Curtis, Donohoe, Eplee, Featherston, Haskins, Haswood, Highberger, … [Read more...] about 48 Legislators Sign on to Kansas Abolition Legislation!!!!
Kansas Death Penalty on Trial
The Kansas death penalty is being put on trial in a Sedgwick County capital murder case with a special set of hearings February 6 through 8. Kyle Young, an African American man, is charged with capital murder in the January 22, 2020 deaths of Alicia Roman and George Kirksey. He faces the death penalty if convicted. His attorneys have filed a pretrial challenge to the … [Read more...] about Kansas Death Penalty on Trial
The US Supreme Court: “Finality” Can Be More Important Than Innocence Issues
Protecting prisoners’ rights and avoiding executions of innocent people in federal courts is nigh onto impossible. A man is on death row in part because of poor lawyering. Four federal judges have agreed the man may well be innocent but the Supreme Court couldn’t overturn his conviction or stop the state from executing him because of a Clinton-era law and the Supreme Court … [Read more...] about The US Supreme Court: “Finality” Can Be More Important Than Innocence Issues
KCADP Board Statement on Kansas Supreme Court Decisions in State V. Carr
The Death Penalty and Its Impact on Justice
When a homicide case is prosecuted as capital, there are ramifications for the justice system. The Fiscal Consequences It is well documented that death penalty cases take longer to make their way through the courts. The 2014 Kansas Death Penalty Advisory Committee Report to the Judicial Council studied this impact from a cost perspective. Whether the case went to trial … [Read more...] about The Death Penalty and Its Impact on Justice