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Police Investigator on Death Penalty: "Law Enforcement Don't Need It"
Former New York State Police Investigator Terrence Dwyer wrote in the Hartford Courant on July 21 that the death penalty is hurting Connecticut: "I cannot conclude, as Gov. Rell did, that the death penalty works. Events just this past year have shown the death penalty could lead to gross miscarriages of justice." In addition to citing recently discovered wrongful convictions in the state, Dwyer also pointed to the prolonged legal process in capital cases as cause for concern: "Everyone in a capital trial - the prosecutors, defense attorneys, investigators and judge - knows that it will take decades before the case is resolved. But prosecutors still go for the death penalty, and victims' families are left to endure endless trials and appeals.' Click here to read the full op-ed.

2010 CNADP Annual Meeting: "Law Enforcement and the Death Penalty"
The CNADP is dedicating this year's annual meeting to law enforcement and their perspectives on the death penalty. Many assume that members of law enforcement automatically support the death penalty, but recently more have raised questions about its effectiveness. A recent poll showed that police chiefs across the country believe that the death penalty is the least efficient use of taxpayers' money in efforts to reduce violence. The annual meeting will be an opportunity to hear from members of the law enforcement community, as well as honor George Kain, Ridgefield's Police Commissioner, with the Walter Everett Humanitarian Award. When: Tuesday, September 14. Doors open and refreshments will be available at 6:00 PM, with the program starting at 6:30 PM. Where: St. Patrick-St. Anthony Church in Hartford (285 Church St.)

CNADP NOW HIRING: Law Enforcement Organizer

The CNADP is seeking a part- or full-time organizer to lead its outreach efforts to law enforcement. The law enforcement organizer will be responsible for reaching out to former and current Connecticut police officers, prosecutors, and corrections officials for a dialogue to find out their needs and where the death penalty falls in terms of their law enforcement priorities. The organizer will need to travel to conduct organizing around Connecticut. Click here for the full job posting and to access the online application. If you have any questions about this position, please contact Ben Jones at ben.jones@cnadp.org.

Stop Execution of a Potentially Innocent Man - Sign Petition!

Recently Ohio has increased dramatically executions in the state, and now it is pushing ahead with an execution for someone who may be innocent. Ohio has set an execution date of September 15, 2010, for Kevin Keith, in spite of overwhelming evidence supporting what Keith has maintained since his arrest - he is actually innocent, wrongfully convicted of a crime based on faulty eyewitness identification. The Ohio Innocence Project, the National Innocence Network, and a group of leading eyewitness and memory experts all support relief for Keith. More information on the case is at kevinkeith.org. To help stop the execution, click here to sign the petition urging the Ohio Parole Board and Governor Ted Strickland to grant clemency to Kevin Keith. We need at least 5,000 signatures!

Death Penalty a Disservice to Victims' Families, writes Kristin Froehlich in Middletown Press

In 1995, Kristin Froehlich's brother David was murdered in a quintuple homicide in Redding Connecticut. She writes in a recent op-ed, "Honest Debate needed on the Death Penalty," that the death penalty fails victims' families: "The fact that the death penalty touches so few lives is the first way in which it does a disservice to victims. The death penalty necessarily divides victims between those who are worthy of a death-penalty case and those who are not. These distinctions are incredibly disrespectful to victims' families and a source of great pain. And since the vast majority of murderers will not face the death penalty, it is inaccurate and hurtful to act as if the death penalty is a real solution for murder victims' families." Read the entire op-ed.

Religious Leaders Join Sign-On Letter and Call for End to the Death Penalty

As part of the ongoing Abolition Day Campaign to End Connecticut's Death Penalty, religious leaders across the state are making a stand and calling for repeal of the death penalty. Dozens have already signed it, and if you are a religious leader in Connecticut - a rabbi, priest, deacon, pastor, or sister - sign it today! The letter is found at the following link, which also contains directions on where to send it: Religious Leaders Sign-On Letter.

From Death Row to Freedom Tour with Randy Steidl a Success! During the first week of May, death row exoneree Randy Steidl was in Connecticut, where he spoke at seven events in five days. The tour was a resounding success! Randy shared his story to around 700 people in events around the state, and reached an even broader audience through over a dozen news articles generated during the tour. Through explaining the corruption and misconduct that led to his wrongful conviction, Randy changed minds in Connecticut and left no doubt that the death penalty needs to go in the Nutmeg state! We extend a big thanks to Witness to Innocence and RESIST for all their help in sponsoring a successful tour. Read about Randy and see him speak at Eastern Connecticut State University.

Supreme Court Grants Reprieve in Hank Skinner Case!

Hank Skinner came within an hour of being executed before the Supreme Court stepped in on March 24 to grant a reprieve. The Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles had voted unanimously to deny a reprieve, despite serious doubts concerning Skinner's guilt. Convicted of the 1993 murders of Twila Busby and her two sons, Skinner claims that he was passed out when the murders occurred. The night of the murder, Busby last was seen at a New Year's Eve party where her uncle Robert Donnell, who had an incestuous relationship with her, was stalking her. Busby left the party, and five minutes later Donnell also left. His whereabouts that night remain unaccounted for. The State of Texas has refused to allow DNA testing on key evidence, including a rape kit and two knives from the crime scene. Skinner's conviction was based on perjured testimony and circumstantial evidence.

Judge's Ruling Overturns Convictions of Two Men in 1993 Murder Case

Another wrongful conviction has come to light in Connecticut. In a scathing ruling, Judge Stanley Fuger, Jr. said that "a manifest injustice" had led to the imprisonment of George Gould and Ronald Taylor, and ordered their immediate release from prison. (A challenge from state prosecutors has put their release on hold, at least temporarily.) These two exonerations are just the latest in a string to have taken place in Connecticut in recent years: James Tillman was exonerated of rape in 2006, Miguel Roman of murder in 2009, and Kenneth Ireland of rape and murder in 2009. To read more about the recent exonerations of Gould and Taylor, visit the following article in the New Haven Independent: "Outraged Judge Reverses Murder Convictions."

Influential American Law Institute Drops the Death Penalty

The American Law Institute (A.L.I.) consists of 4,000 lawyers, judges, and law professors, which is highly influential within the legal community. This past fall the A.L.I. took the dramatic step of dropping the death penalty from its Model Penal Code. New York Times writer Adam Liptak reported on this move in a January 4th article. He writes: "the American Law Institute, which created the intellectual framework for the modern capital justice system almost 50 years ago, pronounced its project a failure and walked away from it." The entire article is found at the following link: Group Gives Up Death Penalty Work.

Death Penalty Wastes Money and Fails to Help Law Enforcement, Says New Report, Connecticut Police Commissioner, and Courant Columnist A new report released by the Death Penalty Information Center, "Smart on Crime," finds that law enforcement officials do not see the death penalty as an effective tool. In fact, 57% of police chiefs survey said that the death penalty does little to deter crime. To hold onto this ineffective measure, Connecticut and other states must spend millions of dollars a year in a time of economic crisis. The report conservatively estimates that, since death penalty was reinstated in the 1970s, the nation has spent $2.5 billion on the practice. That is money that could toward measures that actually reduce crime: drug prevention and rehabilitation programs, services for the mentally ill, more police officers, and better schooling. To read the report, please click here. In the October 25th Sunday papers, two opinion pieces cited the report as further evidence that Connecticut should repeal the state's death penalty. The police commissioner for Ridgefield, George Kain, wrote in the Connecticut Post that "the report confirmed what I have already known for quite some time: law enforcement officials don't need the death penalty for their safety or to reduce crime." Susan Campbell in her column, "Cost Should be Death Penalty Deterrent," wrote that "Once the death penalty is part of the equation, the wheels of justice turn more slowly - and at a higher cost. And still people get sentenced wrongfully."

CNADP Begins Partnership with Murder Victims' Families for Reconciliation The Connecticut Network to Abolish the Death Penalty (CNADP) and Murder Victims' Families for Reconciliation (MVFR) have joined together in a new partnership. Together, our organizations seek to ensure that the perspectives and needs of victims of violent crime are included in the public dialogue on capital punishment. MVFR is a national organization composed of family members of victims of both homicide and state killings who oppose the death penalty in all cases. Founded in 1976, MVFR works to help the public, the press, and policy makers understand the negative impact that capital punishment has on the families of victims and the condemned. As part of its mission to support state-based efforts, MVFR is working in Connecticut for the coming year. To learn more about MVFR, please visit its website: www.mvfr.org.

Abolition Day Kickoff Rally a Success!

Thank you for everyone who took a stand against the death penalty at the Abolition Day Kickoff Rally on October 4. We had a beautiful day, a tremendous day, and terrific speakers! This rally was the first step in a campaign that will end in abolition of Connecticut's death penalty. To see some of the coverage of the rally, check out pictures from the rally at the CNADPs Facebook page.

Innocent Man Executed in 2004 In 2006, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia wrote that there has not been "a single case - not one - in which it is clear that a person was executed for a crime he did not commit. If such an event had occurred in recent years, we would not have to hunt for it; the innocent's name would be shouted from the rooftops." It's time to SHOUT and make known to all that the unconscionable act of executing an innocent man has occurred. Conclusive evidence now shows that Texas made a fatal mistake when it executed Cameron Willingham in 2004. Willingham was convicted of killing his three children in an arson fire, but new scientific evidence reveals that the fire was not arson but an accidental fire. To learn more about the case, click here.

Thank You Everyone for a Terrific Campaign! To everyone who wrote, emailed, and called your elected officials urging them to repeal the death penalty, thank you! Because of your action, we had amazing success this past legislative session and far exceeded everyone's expectations. Many predicted that we could not even pass a repeal bill through the Judiciary Committee. Not only did it pass the Judiciary Committee by a vote of 24-13, but then it passed the House by a historic margin of 90-56 and the Senate by a vote of 19-17. Though Gov. Rell's veto was disappointing, we can be assured that abolition in the state of Connecticut is not far off!

Terrific News! US Supreme Court Orders New Hearing for Troy Davis On August 17, the Justices of the Supreme Court ordered a Georgia district court to review evidence of Davis's innocence. Though the outcome of this hearing is far from certain, Davis and his lawyers now have an opportunity to prove his innocence in court. To learn more about this latest development, click here.

Diverse Groups Call for an End to Connecticut's Death Penalty In a series of press conferences, a wide array of different groups called on Governor Rell to abolish the death penalty. Hours after the Senate vote for repeal on March 22, a group of murder victims' families called for an end to the death penalty, saying that it causes only more pain to those who lose loved one to murder. On May 28, defense lawyers joined by death row exoneree Randy Steidl argued that the death penalty is hopelessly flawed. On June 2, former prosecutors, police officials, and DOC officials joined the growing number of voices urging the Governor to sign the repeal legislation. Finally, on June 5, national NAACP president Benjamin Jealous joined House Speaker Christopher Donovan, Rep. Gary Holder-Winfield, Rep. Jason Bartlett, and various community leaders in expressing their disappointment at the Governor Rell's veto.

CNADP Executive Director Ben Jones, Rep. Gary Holder-Winfield, CT NAACP President Scot Esdaile, National NAACP President Benjamin Jealous, House Speaker Christopher Donovan, Rep. Jason Bartlett, CT ACLU Executive Director Andrew Schneider