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Reviewing the lengthy appeals process for capital cases

By Douglas A. Berman

New Hampshire sentenced a killer to death this week for the first time in a very long time.  As this effective local article highlights, the new death sentence means that folks in the Granite state will now get a first-hand view of the lenthy appeals process in capital cases.  The article is headlined, "Appeals likely for 15 years: Legal safeguards myriad; capital cases rare in N.H," and here is how it starts: Appeals in Michael Addison's capital murder case are likely to span at least 15 years if he pursues them all, death penalty experts say. That's because there are myriad constitutional protections designed to prevent unjust executions - and because the New Hampshire judiciary is inexperienced with death penalty law. Addison, 28, who was sentenced to death Thursday for shooting and killing Manchester police Officer Michael Briggs, is the first New Hampshire man to receive a death sentence since 1959, before the U...continue to full post

Full post as published by Sentencing Law and Policy on December 21, 2008 (boomark / email).