Legislative Background
Recent Action on Death Penalty Reform
Growing concerns that innocent people may be put to death have led to increased congressional attention to the issue of capital punishment. Recent polls show that while most Americans support capital punishment, they have doubts and reservations about the way the current system operates. Justice Department Reports A 1996 Justice Department report, Convicted by Juries, Exonerated by Science, commissioned by U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno, raised troubling questions about how many people in recent years may have been convicted and even executed for crimes they did not commit. As a result, the Department established a National Commission on the…
