FROM THE ARCHIVE

Group proposes execution standards

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JUNE 27, 2001

The Constitution Project's death penalty group today will release a report proposing the federal government and states implement standards to limit executions of convicted criminals.

The group is composed of judges, former prosecutors and victims advocates. They will present their report to the Senate Judiciary Committee, who is holding a hearing on legal representation in death penalty cases today.

Among the proposals are to ban execution of mentally retarded and juvenile convicts. Juries should be allowed to consider alternatives to the death penalty, such as imposing life sentences without chance of parole.

The hearing is available via the CapitolHearings.Org website. It begins at 10 am Eastern Standard Time.

Listen to the hearing:
Audio: SD-226 (CapitolHearings.Org)

Get the Story:
Standards for U.S. Executions Proposed (The Washington Post 6/27)

Relevant Links:
Death Penalty Initiatives - http://www.constitutionproject.org/dpi/index.html

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