Journalist @baltimoresun writer artist runner #amwriting Chaplain PIO #partylikeajournalist

Journalist @baltimoresun writer artist runner #amwriting Chaplain PIO #partylikeajournalist
Journalist @baltimoresun writer artist runner #amwriting Md Troopers Assoc #20 & Westminster Md Fire Dept Chaplain PIO #partylikeajournalist
Showing posts with label Death Penalty. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Death Penalty. Show all posts

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

CityBizList: O’Malley sets his sights to repeal death penalty





No doubt still high off his recent same-sex marriage win, Gov. Martin O’Malley is considering another piece of progressive legislation to add to his legacy — a repeal of the death penalty. It’s something he’s tried unsuccessfully in the past, but capital punishment is gradually falling out of favor with the public. So there may be a chance.

However, if and when O’Malley makes a run for the presidency, abolishing capital punishment in Maryland may prove a dubious asset. According to the Washington Post, plenty of Democrats still favor letting God sort it out, as it were, and a repeal may place O’Malley too far to the left for national office… http://baltimore.citybizlist.com/article/o%E2%80%99malley-sets-his-sights-his-next-huge-legislative-effort

*****

Wednesday, March 04, 2009

Paul Kenneth Burns on Death Penalty Repeal-Part II






Paul Kenneth Burns on Death Penalty Repeal-Part II

Hussan Giordano interviews Senators Nancy Jacobs and Lisa Gladden, Gregory Kane, and our own Paul Kenneth Burns…

March 3, 2009

“The Reporters’ Round Table” Host Hussan Giordano interviews Senators Nancy Jacobs and Lisa Gladden, Gregory Kane, and our own Paul Kenneth Burns in a discussion on the fate of the Maryland death penalty, slots, the stimulus package and the state budget.

Click to watch: Death Penalty Repeal-Part II

It was a great informative and intelligent discussion and well worth the time to watch.

Mr. Burns reports here, “Reporters’ Roundtable,” (http://www.marylandpolitics.us/archives/1288) that this is his “first television appearance…as a political commentator.”

OMG – to be so young…

And for the record, Senators Gladden and Jacobs are a heckuva lot more attractive than Messrs. Burns and Kane.
Kevin Dayhoff www.kevindayhoff.net http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/

Senate Recesses Until Tomorrow Morning

Senate Recesses Until Tomorrow Morning

Maryland Senate Republican Caucus 5:45 PM March 3, 2009:

Proving the point that committee work is best done in a standing committee and not on the Senate floor, the Senate approved two amendments to SB 279 - Criminal Law - Death Penalty - Repeal that gutted the repeal provisions of the bill and substituted stricter requirements before the death penalty can be applied in a criminal case.

First, Senator James Brochin (D - Baltimore County) offered an amendment to strip the repeal provisions but require that a defendant could not be sentenced to the death penalty solely on the basis of eyewitness evidence.

Under Brochin's heightened requirements, prosecutors would have to provide physical evidence in addition to any eyewitness testimony before the death penalty applied.

This amendment passed by a vote of 25 yeas and 21 nays.

Second, Senator Robert Zirkin (D - Baltimore County) offered an amendment that provided more specific requirements for physical evidence that must be introduced before a defendant can be sentenced to a death penalty.

The Zirkin provisions require that a prosecutor introduce either: (1) biological or DNA evidence; (2) a videotaped voluntary interrogation and confession of the defendant; or (3) a video-recording that conclusively links the defendant to the murder.

After adoption of these amendments, action on additional amendments floundered as Senators requested an explanation of the impact of prior amendments. When informed that the bill no longer contain repeal provisions, several anti-death penalty members expressed dismay at the course of the floor proceedings.

"What we are getting is a real mess!" bemoaned Senator Delores Kelly (D - Baltimore County).

President Pro Tem Nathaniel McFadden added, "This is not one of the high points" of the Maryland Senate.

After about an hour of tumoil on the Senate floor, Senator EJ Pipkin (R - Cecil, Kent, Queen Anne's & Caroline) move to recomit the bill back to the Judicial Proceedings Committee. The motion to recomit failed on a tie vote of 23 to 23.

When the next amendment was offered by Senator David Harrington (D – Prince George's), a motion was made by Senator Pipkin to lay the amendment over with the bill under the rules. During the first 80 days of session, a motion to lay over until the next day is automatic.

The Senate recessed and will re-convene to continue the death penalty flooraction at 9:00 a.m. tomorrow.

Copies of the Senate votes on the amendments will be posted on our website
www.mdsenategop.com later this evening.

20090303 MSRC Senate Recesses Until Tomorrow Morning
Kevin Dayhoff www.kevindayhoff.net http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/

Tuesday, March 03, 2009

Senator Nancy Jacobs: Important Update on Death Penalty Legislation

Senator Nancy Jacobs: Important Update on Death Penalty Legislation

Maryland Senator Nancy Jacobs R-Dist. 34 Cecil and Harford Counties, e-mailed earlier today about the latest news on the death penalty legislation on the Maryland General Assembly.

She also partially answered a question that I have had in the back of my head; and that is if the Maryland Judicial Proceedings Committee voted 6 to 5 against SB 279 to repeal the death, then how did it make it to the Senate floor…?

Here’s what Senator Jacobs reported at 3:03 pm:

Dear Friend:

On Friday, the Maryland Senate's Judicial Proceedings Committee voted 5 FOR to 6 AGAINST S.B. 279--repeal of the death penalty. As a member of the Senate Judicial Proceedings I can say with authority that our committee feels that Maryland should keep the death penalty on our legal books. We killed it in our committee.

But in a rare procedural move, the full Maryland Senate considered changing our committee's unfavorable report to a favorable report. According to Senate President Mike Miller, this procedure has been used once before in 30 years. The Maryland Senate voted 25-22 to change the report and 24-23 to send the bill to second reader. Second reader is where amendments may be added to a bill. If the bill passes 2nd reader it moves to 3rd reader where open floor debates, and yes, the possibility of filibusters loom large.

You can view the procedural vote and the second reader votes please visit the posting on MDSenategop.com.

http://www.mdsenategop.com

The close votes indicate some senators are hemming and hawing over their support or opposition to the death penalty.

Should you support maintaining the death penalty then I strongly urge you to call Maryland Senate offices today telling them to support the death penalty and to support a filabuster if it comes down to one. You can call 1-800-492-7122 or 410-946-5400 and ask for the respective senate offices.

Sincerely,

Nancy Jacobs


20090303 Senator Jacobs Imp Update on Death Penalty Leg
Kevin Dayhoff www.kevindayhoff.net http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/
Kevin Dayhoff: www.westgov.net Westminster Maryland Online www.westminstermarylandonline.net http://kevindayhoffwestgov-net.blogspot.com/

Death Penalty Repeal Bill Now Preserves the Death Penalty in MD

Death Penalty Repeal Bill Now Preserves the Death Penalty in MD

Maryland Senate Republican Caucus 4:30 PM March 3, 2009:

The Senate is now on the floor. Senator James Brochin (D - BaltimoreCounty) offered an amendment to preserve the death penalty in Maryland butto require that a defendant could be sentenced to the death penalty solelyon the basis of eyewitness testimony.

Prosecutors would be required to present physical evidence in addition to any eyewitness testimony. That amendment passed by vote of 25 - 21.

Additional amendments are being considered - check our website later todayfor a full review of this afternoon's Senate debate.


20090303 MSRC Death Pen Repeal Bill Now Preserves Death Pen
Kevin Dayhoff www.kevindayhoff.net http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/

Death Penalty Repeal Bill Moving to Second Reader

Death Penalty Repeal Bill Moving to Second Reader

Maryland Senate Republican Caucus 11:09 AM March 3, 2009

The Maryland Senate took up the death penalty debate during their morning session today. Senator Lisa Gladden (D - Baltimore City) moved that the bill be substituted for the unfavorable report of the Judicial Proceedings Committee. That motion passed by a vote of 25 yeas and 22 nays.

The next motion was to move the bill to second reader essentially providing a favorable report to the bill by the full Senate. That motion passed by a vote of 24 yeas and 23 nays.

President Miller announced that the Senate will have a second session today so that amendments can be offered and debated during the afternoon session.

Check our website later today for the voting record on these motions.


20090303 MSRC Death Pen Repeal Bill Moving to Sec Reader
Kevin Dayhoff www.kevindayhoff.net http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/

Tuesday, June 12, 2007

Studies: Death Penalty Discourages Crime

Studies: Death Penalty Discourages Crime

AP Monday, June 11, 2007

Anti-death penalty forces have gained momentum in the past few years, with a moratorium in Illinois, court disputes over lethal injection in more than a half-dozen states and progress toward outright abolishment in New Jersey.

The steady drumbeat of DNA exonerations — pointing out flaws in the justice system — has weighed against capital punishment. The moral opposition is loud, too, echoed in Europe and the rest of the industrialized world, where all but a few countries banned executions years ago.

What gets little notice, however, is a series of academic studies over the last half-dozen years that claim to settle a once hotly debated argument — whether the death penalty acts as a deterrent to murder. The analyses say yes. They count between three and 18 lives that would be saved by the execution of each convicted killer.

The reports have horrified death penalty opponents and several scientists, who vigorously question the data and its implications.

So far, the studies have had little impact on public policy. New Jersey's commission on the death penalty this year dismissed the body of knowledge on deterrence as "inconclusive."

But the ferocious argument in academic circles could eventually spread to a wider audience, as it has in the past.

"Science does really draw a conclusion. It did. There is no question about it," said Naci Mocan, an economics professor at the University of Colorado at Denver. "The conclusion is there is a deterrent effect."

A 2003 study he co-authored, and a 2006 study that re-examined the data, found that each execution results in five fewer homicides, and commuting a death sentence means five more homicides. "The results are robust, they don't really go away," he said. "I oppose the death penalty. But my results show that the death penalty (deters) — what am I going to do, hide them?"

Statistical studies like his are among a dozen papers since 2001 that capital punishment has deterrent effects. They all explore the same basic theory — if the cost of something (be it the purchase of an apple or the act of killing someone) becomes too high, people will change their behavior (forego apples or shy from murder).

To explore the question, they look at executions and homicides, by year and by state or county, trying to tease out the impact of the death penalty on homicides by accounting for other factors, such as unemployment data and per capita income, the probabilities of arrest and conviction, and more.

Among the conclusions:

[…]

The studies' conclusions drew a philosophical response from a well-known liberal law professor, University of Chicago's Cass Sunstein. A critic of the death penalty, in 2005 he co-authored a paper titled "Is capital punishment morally required?"

[…]

"We just don't have enough data to say anything," said Justin Wolfers, an economist at the Wharton School of Business who last year co-authored a sweeping critique of several studies, and said they were "flimsy" and appeared in "second-tier journals."

[…]

Then, economist Isaac Ehrlich had also concluded that executions deterred future crimes. His 1975 report was the subject of mainstream news articles and public debate, and was cited in papers before the U.S. Supreme Court arguing for a reversal of the court's 1972 suspension of executions. (The court, in 1976, reinstated the death penalty.)

[…]

Read the entire Associated Press article here: Studies: Death Penalty Discourages Crime

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,280215,00.html
SDOSM 20070612
20070611 Studies Death Penalty Discourages Crime

Kevin Dayhoff www.kevindayhoff.net http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/