CEDP Fact Sheets

30 Years is Enough! End the Death Penalty!
This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Gregg v. Georgia Supreme Court ruling that reinstated the use of the death penalty in 1976. In the 30 years since, the capital punishment system has compiled a shameful, ugly record, reeking of racism, class bias and flaws. The time to do away with the death penalty system is 30 years overdue.

The Death Penalty in Baltimore County, Maryland
Baltimore County, Maryland sentences more people to death than any other county in Maryland.

Is Kenny Collins an Innocent Man?
Kenny Collins is on Maryland’s death row. He claims he is innocent. No physical evidence, eye-witnesses, nor confession links Kenny Collins to the crime.

Kevin Cooper: Saved from Execution, Still Fighting for Justice
Kevin Cooper is an inmate on death row at San Quentin State Prison. In 1985 he was convicted of the murder of the Ryen family and a houseguest in San Bernadino county. Much evidence has come forward that was never tested or presented before the jury at Kevin Cooper's trial that could possibly challenge his conviction.

Justice for the Death Row 10!
The Death Row 10 are men convicted and sentenced to death as a result of the use of torture to obtain "confessions" by Jon Burge, former Lieutenant of Chicago's Area II Violent Crimes Detective Unit, and fellow officers. Four of these men were pardoned in 2003 and released from death row. Their struggle continues. Cortez Brown and Ronald Kitchen had their death sentences commuted to life without the possiblity of parole, but they continue to maintain his innocence and seek justice.

Vernon Evans
Vernon Evans is currently on death row in Maryland. His pending execution was stayed in February of 2006. Here are five reasons to oppose the execution of Vernon Evans and a fact sheet and petition to download.

Michael Johnson
Michael Johnson had exhausted all legal options available to him and was awaiting execution in Texas, when the court issued a stay based upon the finding of a confession from the real killer. This is Michael's second time in Federal Courts and ultimately his last chance at survival.

Ten Reasons Why You Should Support Mumia Abu-Jamal
Mumia Abu-Jamal has been on death row for almost two decades for the killing of a Philadelphia police officer. An award-winning journalist, political activist and one-time member of the Black Panther Party, Mumia has faced one miscarriage of justice after another. So consider these ten reasons to support Mumia, and join the fight to save his life.

Rodney Reed: Innocent on Death Row?
Rodney Reed was convicted and sentenced to death for the 1996 murder of 19-year-old Stacy Stites in Bastrop, Texas. But there is troubling evidence that Reed is innocent of this crime. And there was a pattern of police and prosecutorial misconduct that puts his conviction in doubt.

Kevin Wiggins
is on death row in Maryland. The anti-death penalty movement won a significant victory when the U.S. Supreme Court recognized that Maryland death row inmate Kevin Wiggins was denied a competent lawyer at his trial.

Obadyah Ben-Yisrayl
Obadyah Ben-Yisrayl had his Porter County, Indiana, conviction thrown out in July 2003 by Federal Judge Allan Sharp. His conviction was reversed and a new trial was ordered.

Justice for Cortez Brown: Tortured, Innocent, and Wrongfully Convicted
Cortez Brown is a member of the Death Row 10 -- a group of African American men who were brutally tortured by Chicago police at Area 2 and 3 Headquarters on the South side of Chicago and forced into giving confessions that were used to convict them. In January 2003, former Illinois Governor Ryan pardoned four of the Death Row 10 and commuted all death sentences. Cortez is no longer on death row, but he now faces a life sentence without the possibility of parole.

Ronald Kitchen
Ronald Kitchen is a member of the Death Row 10 -- a group of African American men who were brutally tortured by Chicago police at Area 2 and 3 Headquarters on the South side of Chicago and forced into giving confessions that were used to convict them. In January 2003, former Illinois Governor Ryan pardoned four of the Death Row 10 and commuted all death sentences. Ronald is no longer on death row, but he now faces a life sentence without the possibility of parole. He is an innocent man fighting for his freedom.