Solitary Confinement

It is easy to forget that, as well as being sentenced to death, Shawna was for a long time in solitary confinement, a cruel and unusual punishment in itself. The following video, produced by
The Guardian newspaper gives us the opportunity to experience solitary confinement for ourselves in the comfort of our own homes. I found it extremely upsetting and I can't begin to understand how Shawna and thousands of other prisoners in the US and elsewhere can not only survive it but can lead positive and uplifting lives.

http://www.theguardian.com/world/ng-interactive/2016/apr/27/6x9-a-virtual-experience-of-solitary-confinement

Shawna's update, part 1 & 2 of 9 pages

i will contine with the rest of this later, there are 9 pages in all

Death Penalty Use in 2015 Declines Sharply

Death Penalty Use in 2015 Declines Sharply

Fewest Executions, Fewest Death Sentences, and Fewest States Employing the Death Penalty in Decades

A report by the Death Penalty Information Center shows that the use of the death penalty declined by virtually every measure in 2015. There were only 28 executions, which is the lowest number since 1991. Fourteen states and the federal government imposed 49 new death sentences, a 33% decline over 2014 and the lowest number since the early 1970s when the death penalty was halted by the US Supreme Court.

Similarly public support for the death penalty continued to fall in 2015, with various polls showing a huge decrease since in support since the peak years of the 1980s and 1990s.

There were six exonerations in 2015, bringing the total to 156 innocent men and women who have been released from death row since 1973.

A summary of the report can be found at:

http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/YearEnd2015#pressrelease 

This also gives a link to the full report.