Collections : [National Death Penalty Archive]

National Death Penalty Archive

National Death Penalty Archive

Researchers, writers, activists, and records on capital punishment in the United States.
The National Death Penalty Archive (NDPA) is a partnership between the University at Albany Libraries and the Capital Punishment Research Initiative (CPRI) at the University's School of Criminal Justice. In 1999, researchers at the School of Criminal Justice formally established the CPRI. Its overarching goals were research and education -- initiate capital punishment research activities, facilitate collaboration among researchers, and make findings and information available to legal and criminal justice policymakers, practitioners, and the public. One of the original goals of the CPRI was to establish and maintain a collection of archival materials documenting the important history of capital punishment, and to provide resources for historical scholarship. This growing collection of archival materials is housed in the M.E. Grenander Department of Special Collections and Archives, which is located in the University's state of the art Science Library. Open since 1999, the new archival repository includes climate-controlled storage for more than 25,000 cubic feet. The following collections have been acquired for the NDPA through the collaborative efforts of the CPRI and the University Libraries; work is continuing to build this important link to the history of capital punishment in the United States.

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National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty Records, 1972-2006, Undated, bulk 1981-2006

27.55 cubic ft.
Since 1976 the National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty has been working to educate the public about the failings and inconsistencies of capital punishment in the United States. Founded after the Gregg v. Georgia Supreme Court decision in 1976, the NCADP has emerged as one of the more influential national anti-death penalty organizations. The collection contains the group's internal case files, administrative material, publications, petitions, photographic materials, video tapes, and audio cassettes.

Hugo A. Bedau Papers, 1954-2005

36 cubic ft.
Hugo A. Bedau (Ph.D., Harvard, 1961) was a commentator, scholar, and activist for the abolition of capital punishment. He was a prominent spokesperson in the abolitionist movement and well-known for his scholarship and writing concerning the death penalty and the challenge to separate logical arguments from moral arguments.
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Ernest Van Den Haag Papers, 1935-2000

11.45 cubic ft.
This collection is predominantly composed of Ernest van den Haag's publications from 1950-2000, including articles in published form, drafts, and related correspondence.
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Folder

Numbered, 1950-2000 6.17 cubic ft.

Online

This subseries contains the published writings of Ernest van den Haag arranged numerically by the number assigned each. This subseries represents the bulk of the collection and is one of the best sources for studying the philosophy of Ernest van den Haag. He wrote articles that cover a wide spectrum of political and social issues of his day. This subseries is unique in that it contains not only van den Haag's drafts, but in most cases the articles in their final published form, providing the researcher a glimpse of the contemporary context. These publications include drafts for books, reviews, chapters, and articles by van den Haag. The publications were assigned individual numbers probably reflecting the order of creation not the date of publication. The arrangement within each folder is as follows: the final published form of the article usually containing the periodical cover page, the contents page, and the article itself; correspondence, usually between van den Haag and the publisher, as well as any other related correspondence; rough drafts of the article, usually in order from oldest to newest; research material used in creation of the article as well as articles from other authors that represent debate over van den Haag's views and facts. Publication number 194 contains a letter from President Nixon thanking van den Haag for his balanced views on war crimes in Vietnam. Publication number 338 is an excellent example of the type of controversy surrounding some articles written by van den Haag. Publication number 439 contains a letter from Congressman Charles Rangel opposing Haag's views on the legalization of illegal drugs.

Folder

This subseries contains the unpublished writings of van den Haag. Approximately half are dated. The dated writings are arranged chronologically within the series while undated writings are arranged alphabetically by title with untitled writings at the end arranged alphabetically by subject. The writings within this subseries were identified as unpublished either because of Van den Haag's title on the folder or because they contained no identifying publication information.

M. Watt Espy Papers, 1730-2008

88.76 cubic ft.
The M. Watt Espy papers chronicle the extensive research efforts that led to the creation of the Capital Punishment Research Project and the database known as the Espy File. Espy spent three decades gathering and indexing documentation of legal executions in the United States. His papers contain both primary and secondary sources used to catalog thousands of instances of capital punishment in the United States and its territories since the 1600s. The collection includes material from corrections records, newspapers, county histories, legal proceedings, and books. In addition to the records pertaining specifically to the death penalty, there is also a selection of magazines collected by Espy that cover true crime stories as well as life in the American Old West.

Capital Defender Office Records, 1975-2007, bulk 1995-2007

116.73 cubic ft.
The Capital Defender Office (1995-2008) (CDO) was established as part of New York States 1995 death penalty legislation which took effect on September 1, 1995. Under the new law, the State expanded the crime of first degree murder and introduced two new penalties, death and life in prison without possibility of parole, for those convicted. Working from offices in Albany, New York City, and Rochester, the CDO sought to ensure that defendants being tried by the State, who could not afford representation, receive skilled counsel in capital cases. The CDO closed its Rochester office in 2005, and, as no state death penalty cases remain, the Albany and New York City offices in 2008. This collection consists of news clips (filed by subject), subject files, bound records of appeal in the cases of the People v. Cahill, Harris, LaValle, Mateo, McCoy, and Taylor, notebooks with appellate briefs, New York county court papers arranged by county, government studies, reports and debates on capital punishment, annual reports, and a small number of VHS tapes recording court proceedings. There are defendant case files, some with correspondence, court papers, and news clips and others with just news clips.
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David Baldus Papers, 1965-2011

192.3 cubic ft.
The David C. Baldus Papers document the distinguished legal research career of David C. Baldus, which includes the most sophisticated challenges to capital punishment in the United States since the reinstatement of the Death Penalty in 1976. Included is material from the Georgia Charging & Sentencing Study, which was used as evidence in the McCleskey v. Kemp (1987) decision. Similar studies involving capital sentencing in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and the U.S. Military are also detailed, as is Baldus's formal reports to the supreme courts of a number of other states. Also present is material documenting Baldus's long career as the Joseph B. Tye Professor of Law at the University of Iowa Law School. This includes teaching material, presentations, publications, and material documenting faculty service.
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