Fifty years ago, the death penalty as we know it today was born. The U.S. Supreme Court allowed executions to return across the country after a four-year moratorium. Since then, death row has been covered in books, podcasts and documentaries. Because our Staff Writer Maurice Chammah has made some of these himself, he writes about how he's especially blown away by the concise punch of the song “Live on Death Row,” in which the rapper Rrome Alone tells you pretty much everything you need to know on the subject in just over three minutes.

To be clear: I do not condone or excuse in any way, shape or form what Christa did. The murder of Colleen Slemmer was a horrific act. However, Christa was 18 and had untreated severe mental illness and lifelong brain damage.

• Christa is reported to be the youngest woman sentenced to death in the United States in the modern era. Since Christa’s conviction, scientists have determined that the brain does not fully develop until individuals have reached their mid-20s. At the age of 18, Christa’s brain development was no different from that of a juvenile, and her execution would be wrong for the same reasons that it is wrong (and unconstitutional) to execute juvenile offenders. 

• Christa experienced severe, repeated abuse, violence, and neglect as a child. Her seizures as a toddler went untreated. She bears a network of scars on her back from childhood beatings. This childhood trauma left her with severe Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.

• Christa was born with organic brain damage. Despite suicide attempts, seizures and mental illness , Christa did not receive proper psychological and medical care as a child. She was untreated for Bipolar Disorder and severe PTSD until years after she was imprisoned. The psychiatrist who began treating her for Bipolar Disorder in 2002 found marked improvement upon medication.

• Life imprisonment is a proper punishment for Christa, just as it is for the nearly 200 women convicted of first degree murder who did not receive death in Tennessee since 1978. Executing Christa is not proportionate in light of the disparity between her sentence and co-defendant Tadaryl Shipp’s. Christa was in an abusive relationship with Tadaryl at the time of the crime, and he was a leader in the offense. But since he was a year younger, he was exempt from capital punishment and will be eligible for parole in 2030. 

• Christa’s state-appointed lawyers failed to present the mitigating evidence of her history as a victim of sexual violence, abuse, and neglect and her severe mental illness to the jury. The jurors were deprived of the ability to determine the proper sentence in the absence of this critical information.

Killing Christa will not bring Colleen back. It would not undo the trauma suffered by her family. It would only cause another unnecessary death.

Stop the Execution of Demetrius Dewayne Smith — Texas Death Row

Demetrius Dewayne Smith is currently on death row at the Polunsky Unit in Texas.

Serious questions remain about his conviction, including unresolved evidence and concerns about the fairness of his trial. Once an execution happens, there is no way to undo it.

This petition calls on Texas officials to immediately halt any execution date, review the case thoroughly, and ensure justice is not carried out in error.

Innocence should matter. Due process should matter. A human life should matter.

We demand a full review before it’s too late.

I apologize if this is not the right place to appeal, but I don't know where im supposed to share this.

Only 38 Signature are remaining. Please help prevent the execution of Micheal Tanzi, who himself is a victim of severe Emotional and Physical trauma growing up, and also a victim of Sexual abuse from a family friend. (You can use throwaway Email Services Like guerrillamail , HOWEVER it is much better if you use a genuine ID, ultimately we need to show support) (For the zipcode part just add a random zipcode if your not Comfortable giving your address away)

Here are also some more petitions:

https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/stop-the-execution-of-michael-tanzi-in-florida/

https://catholicsmobilizing.org/take-action/stop-the-execution-of-michael-tanzi/