New York
One year ago, hundreds of people crowded into the meeting hall of the Association of the Bar to discuss whether or not to keep the death penalty in New York.
Watch testimony from the hearings:
- Robert Blecker, Professor of Law, New York Law School
- Madison Hobely, pardoned in Illinois by Former Governor George Ryan
- Robert Morgenthau, New York County's District Attorney
- Barry Scheck, Co-Founder, The Innocence Project
- Ms. Truman-Schmidt, a mother of the Wendy's employee killed in a shooting
Does my state have the death penalty?
Yes, however New York has not had an execution since 1976. There is currently a court ordered moratorium in effect.
What is my governor's position on the death penalty?
New York Governor George E. Pataki (R) strongly favors the death penalty. He was a major force behind the reinstitution of the death penalty in New York. Pataki signed the death penalty into law in New York in March of 1995.
How many people are on Death Row in my state?
There are currently 2 prisoners on Death Row in New York. Of the 2 Death Row prisoners, 1 is black and 1 is white.
On June 24, 2004, the New York State Supreme Court, by a 4-3 ruling, ruled the state’s capital punishment statute unconstitutional. This decision appears to invalidate the sentences of all four men on New York’s Death Row. Read more
Is there anything like the Center on Wrongful Convictions in my state?
The Innocence Project at the Cardozo School of Law
Second Look Program
Brooklyn Law School
250 Joralemon St.
Brooklyn, NY 11201
(718) 780-7983
(718) 780-7954
Was anyone on Death Row ever found innocent in my state?
To date, no prisoner on Death Row has been found innocent in New York.
Are there any opportunities for volunteering in my state?
NYCLU
New Yorkers Against Death Penalty
New York State Defenders Association
Campaign to End the Death Penalty
Additional Resources
New York State Info at DPIC
New York State Info at Equal Justice USA
* Information updated annually. Last updated January 2006. For more information, go to the Death Penalty Information Center.
News
New Streaming Videos!!!!
December 29, 2005
There is some exciting new content on the site that we want to call attention...
Bringing The Death Penalty Back to NY
December 19, 2005
This quote is from an Editorial in The New York Times: When a police officer...
Death Penalty Foes: Halt Ohio Executions
May 10, 2005
Read this Associated Press article featured in the Washington Post. COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Opponents of...
Deadline Screens In Spencertown New York
May 09, 2005
Thanks to Dick Light and everyone who participated in Deadline's screening on May 6th. Dick...
Deadline Screening at Jail Ministry of Syracuse
April 26, 2005
Thanks to Bill Cuddy who sent this feedback from his screening on April 14th. On...
A Timeline of New York's Death Penalty
April 16, 2005
1890 First state to use the electric chair. August 15, 1963 Last execution: Eddie Lee...
Albany Results Are In
April 12, 2005
And the news is good. Democrats in the State Assembly closed the door today on...
David Kaczynski Article In Los Angeles Times
April 12, 2005
Death Penalty Turnaround By David Kaczynski, David Kaczynski is the head of New Yorkers Against...
NYC: Historic Vote on DP; Tue. April 12
April 08, 2005
If the committee votes against the death penalty, it will make New York the first...
Democrats Say Death Penalty Is Likely To Fail
April 07, 2005
In Tuesday's New York Times: ALBANY, April 4 - Top Democrats in the State Assembly...
Murder Survivor Speaks Against Death Penalty as Connecticut Legislature Takes Historic Vote
March 30, 2005
TCASK just sent out this press release. Connecticut's House of Representatives votes on a measure...
No Death Penalty for Truck Driver in Smuggling Case
March 24, 2005
The upstate New York truck driver at the center of the nation's deadliest smuggling attempt...
Deadline April Screenings
March 23, 2005
It's been a while since I've posted Deadline Screenings. After more then a year since...
Bring on the Bishops
March 20, 2005
U.S. Roman Catholic bishops are preparing to begin what they call a major campaign to...
US 'Whittling Away at Death Penalty'
March 03, 2005
From the BBC: Legal experts say that the US Supreme Court's decision to prevent youths...
Democracy Now Segment About The Death Penalty
March 02, 2005
Today you can see a segment of Democracy Now with Amy Goodman about the landmark...
March 1st - International Death Penalty Abolition Day
March 01, 2005
The Tennessee Coalition to Abolish State Killing, who has a great mailing list that I...
Supreme Court Bars Death Penalty for Juvenile Killers
March 01, 2005
In a huge move, The Supreme Court forbid the execution of minors (under 17) at...
Heated Politics over the Death Penalty
February 23, 2005
In NEW YORK: Republican leaders who accuse Democratic Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver of killing the...
Study Finds Innocence Issue Leads to Lower Death Penalty Support
February 22, 2005
Makes sense to me. Three-quarters of Americans believe that an innocent person has been executed...
Pataki's Rating Declines Sharply in Poll of State
February 15, 2005
Interesting New York Times article reporting that Pataki's rating in polls corresponds with the public's...
An Update On The State Of The Death Penalty In New York
February 11, 2005
The New York Times reported today that it is likely that the death penalty will...
Bush Calls for Death Penalty Lawyer Training
February 04, 2005
I realize this is a slow response to the State of the Union, (two days...
Metroland Article and NY Death Penalty Update
February 01, 2005
Check out this article about Deadline and last week's death penalty hearings in Albany's weekly...
The Hearings in Albany
January 27, 2005
by Katy Chevigny Beth Davenport, the Deadline Outreach Coordinator, and I headed to Albany this...
Death penalty foes have their say
January 26, 2005
The Albany hearings were yesterday. The Times Union has an article covering the hearings: On...
Court TV Runs 'The Exonerated'
January 23, 2005
Airing: 9 p.m. Thursday, Court TV "At the end of the play, we would sometimes...
New York City Hearing - Take Two
January 11, 2005
Here is a message from New Yorkers Against the Death Penalty: The hearings on December...
A Legal Quest Against the Death Penalty
January 02, 2005
A lengthy article devoted to the work of Judge Jed S. Rakoff from The New...
Explanation for Death Penalty Sought in Fatal Smuggling Case
December 26, 2004
This article is from the LA Times...to read it you must suscribe first. It only...
DA Morgenthau Against Reviving Death Penalty
December 24, 2004
And the reports from last week's legislative hearing in New York keep coming. This time,...
Speaker Hints Death Penalty May Be Passé
December 23, 2004
More and more New Yorker's are reconsidering the death penalty, for all different reasons. Assembly...
A David Wong Update
December 22, 2004
From Rupa Parekh, who also worked on Deadline: Today, Judge Giardino issued a ruling that...
Letter to the Editor NYC
December 22, 2004
From The New York Times To the Editor: Re "New Debate Over Restoring Death Penalty"...
The Death Penalty Hearings in New York: The Second Half
December 16, 2004
My colleague, Ericka, stayed for the second half of the hearings. Here's her take: Piggybacking...
NY News: Morgenthau and Others Speak Out Against Death Penalty
December 16, 2004
The New York Times' report of yesterday's state legislative hearings: At yesterday's hearing hundreds of...
The Death Penalty Hearings in New York: A Blow by Blow
December 15, 2004
Beth, Ericka and I attended the first of two death penalty hearings in New York....
My Trip To The U.N.
December 13, 2004
Last Friday, I attended the press conference announcing Murder Victims' Families for Human Rights (MVHR)....
New York State Reduces Drug Sentences
December 08, 2004
This is a huge development that many people have done a lot of hard work...
The Case Against David Wong
December 07, 2004
Here is information about a case that many friends are doing some hard work on....
New York State Hearings -- Part Two
November 29, 2004
As I mentioned before, Beth and I will be attending the hearing in New York...
Public Hearing in New York
November 24, 2004
If you are around next Wednesday, you should attend this. It is a public hearing...
The Death Penalty in New York
November 18, 2004
The Times has a great article on the effort to reinstate the death penalty law...
Death Penalty in the News
October 18, 2004
Several news items in the papers. I'll post them all at once…it shows that the...
"Get Tough" Programs for Juveniles Don't Work
October 17, 2004
An interesting article in the Times today, claims that these "get tough" programs for at...
Six Documentary Filmmakers this Thursday
October 11, 2004
I really wish I could be in New York this Thursday. The National Board of...
An Update on Lawrence Hayes
October 02, 2004
Lawrence Hayes, one of the characters in our film, Deadline, was re-imprisoned on April 7,...
Just How Many People Are In Favor of the Death Penalty?
September 28, 2004
Today The Quad Cinema called and wanted to do a write up about the film...
New York News
September 27, 2004
The Court of Appeals struck down New York's death-penalty statute in June 2004. But offenders...
What's New from DPIC
September 20, 2004
This week's news from the Death Penalty Information Center: In New York, Assemblymen and Senators...
Letter to the Editor
September 19, 2004
I was happy to see in today's New York Times, a letter written to the...
New York: Our First Target State
September 03, 2004
We have been funded to do target screenings in certain states that are working towards...
NY is in LIMBO- Call to Action!
August 23, 2004
The New York Times ran an article on Saturday stating that death penalty cases across...
Latest DP news in New York
August 02, 2004
On June 24, 2004, the New York Court of Appeals struck down the New York...
