A Utah death row inmate, convicted of beating a man with a tire jack and puncturing his liver with an inserted tire iron, has requested that he be allowed to die by firing squad, officials said Thursday.
A Norwegian court sentenced three people Monday for their roles in a plot to attack a Danish newspaper that published cartoons depicting the Muslim prophet Mohammed.
The number of aging men and women in U.S. prisons is growing rapidly, Human Rights Watch said Friday, and it expressed concern for their care behind bars.
A prison guard was fatally stabbed Friday afternoon in eastern Arkansas by an inmate already serving a life sentence for first-degree murder.
The Supreme Court gave an Alabama death row prisoner another chance Wednesday to appeal his conviction after a mailroom mistake and other circumstances initially left him unable to pursue further claims in court.
Delaware's governor commuted the death sentence Tuesday of a convicted murderer who was set to be executed later this week.
Civil rights lawyers demanded the death penalty for former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on Monday, joining prosecutor's calls for him to be executed.
The Europe Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton demanded Friday that Iran halt the pending executions of a woman sentenced to die by stoning and a Christian pastor convicted of apostasy.
Prosecutors in the trial of former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak formally requested a penalty of death by hanging for Mubarak and several of his fellow defendants Thursday, an attorney at the court said.
Nearly nine years, thousands of attorneys' hours and reportedly more than $50 million of taxpayer money later, Barry Bonds has finally received his punishment for distorting the truth (he was found guilty of one count of obstruction of justice).
California's use of a three-drug combination in executing prisoners was declared invalid Friday by a Marin County judge, who ruled that a one-drug method should have been considered.
Legal expert Sunny Hostin says it's a big win for Barry Bonds' defense team that he received two years probation.
Death sentences plunged this year and the number of executions continued a steady decline as a result of "growing discomfort" felt by many Americans on the application of capital punishment.
A jury recommended Friday that Joshua Komisarjevsky receive the death penalty for his role in a deadly Connecticut home invasion in 2007.
California officials are investigating why correctional officers fired seven lethal rounds to quell a prison riot in Sacramento this week in which one inmate was shot in the leg, authorities said.
A federal judge sentenced former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich to 14 years in prison for corruption Wednesday.
Philadelphia prosecutors have dropped their pursuit of the death penalty for Mumia Abu-Jamal, who was convicted of shooting a police officer three decades ago.
A former top elected official for Prince George's County, Maryland, was sentenced to more than seven years in prison and fined $100,000 Tuesday after pleading guilty to federal extortion and evidence-tampering charges.
Dr. Conrad Murray was sentenced Tuesday to four years in the Los Angeles County jail -- the maximum sentence allowed under the law -- in the death of Michael Jackson. He may serve no more than two, however.
Dr. Conrad Murray's defense attorney Michael Flanagan says he's not surprised by Murray's four-year jail sentence.
Some found it shocking when Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber granted convicted double-murderer Gary Haugen a reprieve Tuesday, setting aside Haugen's scheduled December 6 execution. Haugen, who killed another prisoner while serving a life sentence for a previous murder, had waived all appeals.
Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber blocked the execution of a death row inmate on Tuesday and said no more executions will take place in the state as long as he is governor.
A New York man was sentenced Thursday to life without parole for killing four people at a Long Island pharmacy in June.
In the latest case of government belt-tightening, a Southern California county is charging prisoners for the daily cost of their stay.
One of Conrad Murray's former patients is outraged at a jury's decision to convict Murray in Michael Jackson's death.
Three top Pakistani cricketers were jailed Thursday after being convicted of plotting to cheat and to take bribes in a match against England last summer, in a scandal that rocked the international sport.
For thousands of prison inmates convicted of crack cocaine charges, the prison doors will be opening early, thanks to sentencing changes easing the disparity between the penalties for possessing or distributing crack vs. powder cocaine.
Under new rules, thousands of inmates serving time on crack charges are being released early.
The son of two of four people charged with imprisoning four mentally disabled adults in the basement boiler room of a Philadelphia apartment building called his parents "loving and caring" on Monday, adding he is "shocked" by their arrest.
White teen faces possible hate crime charges in the killing of a black man captured on video. Drew Griffin reports.
Charisse Coleman has no real compassion for the man who walked into the Thrifty Liquor Store in Shreveport, Louisiana, in 1995 and put three bullets in her brother, Russell.
Philadelphia police were told nearly eight years ago about a possible kidnapping involving the alleged ringleader of a group charged last week with imprisoning four mentally disabled adults, according to a lawyer for the family of one of the captives.
Taxpayers could be bankrolling a kidney transplant for wealthy white-collar convict Raj Rajaratnam, who was recently sentenced to 11 years in federal prison for insider trading.
This week the U.S. Justice Department accused an Iranian-American, who allegedly has ties to Iran's elite Quds Force, of attempting to hire a man he thought was a Mexican cartel hitman to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to the United States.
Raj Rajaratnam, former manager of the defunct hedge fund Galleon Group, was sentenced on Thursday to 11 years in federal prison -- a record for insider trading -- and fined $10 million.
A three-week hunger strike by some California prison inmates has ended, the Department of Corrections said Thursday.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday cleared the way for death-row inmate Mumia Abu-Jamal to get a new sentencing hearing for the killing of a Philadelphia police officer 30 years ago.
Bahrain will give a new trial to a group of 20 medical staff convicted of trying to overthrow the government, officials announced.
A stay of execution for a man scheduled to die by lethal injection Wednesday evening in Georgia has been upheld by the state's Supreme Court.
Thousands of California state prisoners, angry about what they call harsh treatment, have been on a hunger strike that enters its ninth day Tuesday.
Outlined below are some key cases the Supreme Court is scheduled to tackle in its 2011-12 term, which starts Monday.
CNN's Jeffery Toobin interviews retired Justice John Paul Stevens. See the rest of the interview Friday on John King USA.
Retired Justice John Paul Stevens arrives for our conversation looking dapper in a three-piece dark suit and trademark bow tie. But do not mistake the "retired" that comes with his title as a sign the 91-year-old Stevens is slowing down.
It was inevitable that the fiery politics of the death penalty would punctuate Saturday's remembrance of Troy Anthony Davis.
In a CNN exclusive, Quianna Glover talks about her testimony before the Georgia parole board on behalf of Troy Davis.
The man who prepared hundreds of last meals for those condemned to die talks about the last requests. KSAT reports.
A white Mississippi teenager accused of murdering an African-American man in a hate crime pleaded not guilty in his arraignment Friday.
A Bahrain appeals court upheld prison sentences Wednesday for 21 people convicted of trying to topple the country's government, the Bahrain News Agency reported.
Hip-hop and rap artist Petey Pablo is facing nearly three years in prison after sentencing on a guilty plea of possessing a stolen firearm, according to federal prosecutors.
Troy Davis may be dead, but his execution Thursday in the American state of Georgia has made him the poster boy for the global movement to end the death penalty.
Amnesty International's Laura Moye said the reputation of Georgia's justice system is on the line if it executes Troy Davis.
Anneliese MacPhail reacts to news that the Supreme Court has denied a last-minute appeal to halt Troy Davis' execution.
What was a somber mood following convicted cop killer Troy Davis' execution Wednesday night turned to disgust and outrage by morning.
Lawrence Russell Brewer was executed in Texas Wednesday evening for his involvement in the infamous dragging death of a black man 13 years ago.
Troy Davis, whose case drew international attention, was put to death by lethal injection for the 1989 killing of an off-duty police officer in Savannah, Georgia, prison officials announced Wednesday night.
Troy Davis' pastor believes the 22-year old case raises serious questions about America's criminal justice system.
The high-profile execution of Troy Davis in Georgia has brought the death penalty back into the spotlight. Here are some facts on the current state of the death penalty, the clemency process and statistics in Georgia.
Anneliese MacPhail, the mother of a murdered police officer, reacts to the execution of Troy Davis.
The Georgia Parole Board rejected clemency for Troy Davis, who is scheduled to be executed Wednesday.
Supporters of death-row inmate Troy Davis vowed Tuesday to continue fighting to stave off his scheduled execution, despite a decision by the Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles to deny clemency.
The Supreme Court for the third time this year has stopped the pending capital punishment of a Texas inmate, giving lawyers for the man more time to file their appeals.
A Georgia death row inmate is in what could be the final fight for his life. Greg Black reports.
"A calculated, cold-blooded predator." That was how Connecticut Judge James Bentivegna described a then 22-year-old Joshua Komisarjevsky on December 20, 2002, when the defendant was sentenced after being convicted on 12 counts of burglary.
Georgia death row inmate Troy Davis is scheduled for a hearing which may be his last chance. CNN's Don Lemon reports.
Georgia's parole board convened Monday morning to hear a last-minute appeal by Troy Davis, who is set to die by lethal injection for the murder 21 years ago of a Savannah police officer.
A man authorities say was part of a Brooklyn husband-and-wife identity theft team has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for the deaths of three identity theft victims, prosecutors said Thursday.
Texas death row inmate Duane Edward Buck is granted a temporary stay of execution. CNN's Andrew Spencer reports.
The U.S. Supreme Court has delayed the scheduled execution on an inmate on death row in Texas amid questions about a psychologist who testified that blacks and Hispanics were more likely to commit future crimes.
The applause that erupted during last week's NBC/Politico debate among Republican presidential hopefuls at the mention of the executions carried out during Rick Perry's tenure as Texas's governor cut off co-moderator Brian Williams' question in midstream.
People seeking to stop the execution of a convicted cop killer deliver a massive petition bearing some 663,000 names.
Rapper T.I. walked out of a federal prison Thursday to return to an Atlanta halfway house where he will spend the last 14 days of an 11-month prison sentence for a parole violation, his lawyer said Thursday.
Texas is set to execute four inmates over two weeks, including one who died by injection Tuesday evening and another execution scheduled in the next two days.
Joran van der Sloot is willing to confess to a "simple homicide" charge in relation to the May 2010 death of a woman in Peru, but not to more serious charges that would carry longer prison terms, his lawyer said Monday.
Rapper T.I.'s furlough from prison was cut short last week because prison officials objected to his manager and a reality TV producer riding with him on a trip to a halfway house, according to a prison document.
Tax fraudsters are getting more creative -- and, in some cases, more daring. But the IRS is making it harder for them to get away with their tricks.
Over the last three years, the number of contraband cell phones seized in federal prisons and minimum-security facilities has quadrupled, according to a report issued by the General Accountability Office.
T.I., who walked out of a federal prison in Arkansas Wednesday and joyously tweeted "The storm is over & da sun back out," woke up back in a prison Friday morning.
Rapper T.I. has been removed from a halfway house to a "different facility" a day after he was furloughed, apparently because of prison officials' objection over his using a tour bus to move between facilities in Arkansas and Georgia, his attorney said.
A Delaware pediatrician accused of molesting more than 100 of his patients was sentenced Friday to serve his lifetime in prison.
A Florida judge ruled Friday that Casey Anthony must serve one year of supervised probation for a check-fraud conviction, saying that failing to carry through on a "lawfully imposed sentence" would be a "mockery of justice."
Judge Belvin Perry has ordered Casey Anthony back to Orlando to serve probation for check fraud. HLN reports.
Former New York police officer Franklin Mata was sentenced Wednesday to 60 days in jail and three years on probation for three counts of official misconduct in a case of alleged rape involving himself and another New York Police officer, according to the Mahattan district sttorney's office.
Polygamist leader Warren Jeffs was sentenced Tuesday to life in prison plus 20 years for sexually assaulting two girls he claimed were his "spiritual wives."
Warren Jeffs leaves the courthouse after being sentenced to life in prison for sexually assaulting children.
Former New York police officer Kenneth Moreno was sentenced Monday to one year in prison for three counts of official misconduct in a case of alleged rape involving himself and another New York police officer.
Vice looks at Norway's progressive prison system as the fate of terror suspect Anders Breivik remains to be seen.
An Ohio jury on Monday began the sentencing phase for convicted serial killer Anthony Sowell, ultimately deciding whether he should receive life in prison or the death penalty for killing 11 Cleveland-area women between 2007 and 2009.
An Ohio jury on Monday will begin the sentencing phase for convicted serial killer Anthony Sowell, ultimately deciding whether he should receive life in prison or the death penalty for killing 11 Cleveland-area women between 2007 and 2009.
Convicted Ohio serial killer Anthony Sowell won't be eligible for parole after being classified as a "sexually violent predator," court officials in Cleveland said Wednesday.
An activist who handed out pamphlets outside the Orange County courthouse during the Casey Anthony trial was sentenced to five months in jail, his attorney said Wednesday.
CNN's David Mattingly reports on the Georgia mom who received probation in son's jaywalking death.
A Georgia woman convicted on misdemeanor charges in the death of her son after he darted out into traffic will receive a new trial, a judge ruled.
In a case that drew national attention because it was to be videotaped, convicted murderer Andrew Grant DeYoung was executed by lethal injection Thursday night, a corrections department spokeswoman said.
Rapper Jeffrey Atkins, also known as Ja Rule, was sentenced Monday to 28 months in prison for failing to file tax returns with the IRS after admitting that he did not file his taxes for five years, the Justice Department said in a news release Monday.
"I cannot tell you that I am an innocent man. I am not asking you to feel sorry for me, and I won't hide the truth," Mark Anthony Stroman said from Texas death row at the Polunsky Correctional Unit in Livingston. "I am a human being and made a terrible mistake out of love, grief and anger, and believe me, I am paying for it every single minute of the day."
A former National Security Agency official was sentenced to one year of probation and 240 hours of community service Friday for exceeding his authorized use of an agency computer.
In a shaky videotape released Tuesday, the couple who kidnapped Jaycee Lee Dugard can be heard discussing how to operate their new camera as they zoom in to capture images of children in a playground.
A report from federal judicial authorities released this week blasted federal probation officers in northern California for their handling of the case of Phillip Garrido, who admitted to kidnapping and sexually assaulting Jaycee Dugard over 18 years.
The United States breached international law by executing a Mexican national without having granted him consular access, the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights said Friday.
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