The execution of Joseph Corcoran in Indiana took place without any independent witnesses, raising questions about the lack of transparency in the death penalty process.
A sign is posted outside the Indiana State Prison in Michigan City, Ind., on Dec. 17, 2024, where Joseph Corcoran, convicted in the 1997 killings of his brother and three others, was put to death by lethal injection before sunrise Dec. 18.rom public hangings in the town square to lethal injections witnessed by journalists, executions historically have mostly been carried out with at least some public scrutiny.
That was not the case in Indiana early Wednesday, when state prison officials announced they had executed Joseph Corcoran without any independent witnesses present. The unusual secrecy is the result of state laws shielding information about the death penalty, and some First Amendment advocates and death penalty experts say the lack of transparency during the gravest of government punishments is alarming. Media witnesses play a crucial role in executions by providing the public with independent, firsthand and factual accounts of an execution, said Robin Maher, executive director of the Death Penalty Information Center (DPIC). “Media ensures government accountability and transparency in an otherwise closed and secretive process,” Maher said. “The decision to exclude media witnesses raises troubling questions about whether state officials lack the confidence or the ability to conduct the execution without botching it.” The Associated Press aims to cover every U.S. execution because the public has a right to know about all stages of the criminal justice process—including when things do not go according to the government’s plans. Witnesses from the AP and other news organizations have been able to tell the public when executions went awry, including in Idaho, Alabama, Arizona, Oklahoma and Ohio. Formal descriptions of lethal injections by prison officials are sometimes sanitized compared with the detailed accounts offered by journalist
DEATH PENALTY TRANSPARENCY INDIANA EXECUTIONS MEDIA WITNESSES
United Kingdom Latest News, United Kingdom Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Emmerdale fans fury as they slam 'utterly insane' writers over Cain and RubyA secret never stays a secret in the Dales
Read more »
Our Little Secret star's life from Pretty Little Liars to 'secret marriage'Ian Harding stars alongside Lindsay Lohan in the new Netflix holiday romance Our Little Secret.
Read more »
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle Marshall College exhibit puzzle solutionNot sure where to place the artifacts? Here's how to find the Marshall College exhibit puzzle solution in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle.
Read more »
Where to find the Bright Future chest in Indiana Jones and the Great CircleCan find the elusive stolen goods crate? Here's where to find the Bright Future chest in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle.
Read more »
How to get the Timely Arrival chest code in Indiana Jones and the Great CircleCan't crack the lock? Here's how to get the Timely Arrival chest code in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle.
Read more »
FTC, Indiana residents pressure state to block hospital mergerIndiana residents and federal officials are urging state health regulators to stop two rival hospitals in Terre Haute from merging.
Read more »