5/18/2020 -
On Friday, May 15, 2020, Oregon Corrections Director Colette Peters announced the state’s death row will be closed in summer 2020 and the 27 death row inmates will be moved to the general prison population or other prison housing.
4/15/2020 -
Death penalty states have been asked to release lethal injection drugs that are needed for intubation and mechanical ventilation of COVID-19 patients.
3/24/2020 -
Governor Jared Polis signed SB-20-100 on Monday, Mar. 23, 2020, abolishing the death penalty and commuting the sentences of the three men on death row to life in prison.
2/7/2020 -
In 1953, there were 131 inmates on death row. In 2017, 2,703 prisoners were under sentence of death. Find how many prisoners were on death row, how many were executed, and how long they stayed on death row on average by year from 1953 to 2017.
12/30/2019 -
Executions in the United States were at the second-lowest number since 1991 in a year that saw New Hampshire abolish capital punishment and California implement a moratorium on its use.
11/26/2019 -
60% of Americans now say the life in prison without the possibility of parole is a better punishment than the death penalty.
8/29/2019 -
Learn about the presidential candidates’ views on important issues, compare them with a side-by-side chart, find your best match with a fun quiz, track their finances, and so much more on our 2020 Presidential Election website. The New York Times called our previous presidential election site “The most comprehensive tool for researching the candidate’s stance on issues.” Check back monthly for expanded issue coverage.
7/26/2019 -
On July 25, 2019, US Attorney General announced the federal government would execute five men, the first federal use of the death penalty since 2003. The federal government has executed three people since the death penalty was reinstated in 1988.
5/30/2019 -
New Hampshire legislators overrode the Governor’s veto to abolish the death penalty.
3/27/2019 -
See both sides of the debate with quotes from Colorado district attorney George Brauchler (pro), Sen. Kamala Harris (con), President Donald Trump (pro), California Gov. Gavin Newsom (con), and more.
3/14/2019 -
California Governor Gavin Newsom signed an executive order on Mar. 13, 2019, placing a moratorium on the death penalty, granting reprieves to 737 death row inmates, closing the San Quentin execution chamber, and stopping the state from creating a constitutional lethal injection protocol.
3/13/2019 -
Explore which states have the death penalty and which have bans, along with information such as which states have moratoriums or court-ordered stays on the use of capital punishment.
2/21/2019 -
Our new topic explores the pros and cons in the debate over making birth control pills available over-the-counter (OTC). 9.1 million women (12.6% of contraceptive users) use birth control pills, which are the second-most commonly used method of contraception in the United States. Proponents say making the birth control pill available over-the-counter would lower teen pregnancy rates, provide contraceptive access to medically underserved women, and ease access to a health-improving drug with decades of safe use. Opponents say making the Pill over-the-counter would raise the cost of contraception for women, pose a danger to teens’ and women’s health by removing the doctor’s visit requirement, and limit what options are made available.
Our new website presents the top pro & con arguments and quotes, a history of the debate, a video gallery, the prescription status of birth control pills around the world, and a list of drugs switched from prescription to OTC status.
1/17/2019 -
ProCon.org, a Los Angeles-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit public charity,
seeks an in-house Researcher (full-time with benefits or part-time
without benefits) to develop content for websites devoted to a
nonpartisan in-depth presentation of 70+ controversial issues. Three
items are required for application, as specified in the job notice.
8/15/2018 -
Prison officials in Nebraska used fentanyl as part of a four-drug cocktail to carry out the death penalty, marking the first time the opioid was used for this purpose.