ABA Calls for Freeze on Executions

The American Bar Association has called for a freeze on executions across the country. In reaching its recommendation, the ABA looked at the death penalty in eight states: Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Florida, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Tennessee. The ABA did not look at methods of executions, an issue now before the Supreme Court. Among the reasons cited:

Spotty collection and preservation of DNA evidence, which has been used to exonerate more than 200 inmates;

Misidentification by eyewitnesses;

False confessions from defendants; and

Persistent racial disparities that make death sentences more likely when victims are white.

For the full story, click here