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Interesting report of back-room capital clemency dealings with Canada

By Douglas A. Berman

A helpful reader pointed me to this very interesting press story involving the death penalty and our neighbors to the north.  Here are a few snippets:Montana's governor told a top Canadian consular official last year that he was willing to consider commuting the death sentence of Alberta-born killer Ronald Smith ? the only Canadian on death row in the U.S. ? and transfer him to a Canadian prison if Canada would guarantee he'd be kept behind bars for at least five years. The revelation is contained in briefing notes prepared in November for Justice Minister Rob Nicholson and released on Friday after an Access to Information request by Canwest News Service.  The Nicholson backgrounder is the strongest indication yet that Canada's efforts to win clemency for Smith were long-standing, resolute and progressing well until the Conservative government abruptly called off the push by its U...continue to full post

Full post as published by Sentencing Law and Policy on May 13, 2008 (boomark / email).