Amnesty International Report Finds Increase in Death...

Amnesty International Report Finds Increase in Death Penalty "Volunteers" A new report about volunteers and the death penalty by Amnesty International, "The Illusion of Control," found that since the death penalty was reinstated, 89 of the 707 executions (12.5%) carried out in the U.S. have been of those who dropped their appeals and volunteered to be executed. Amnesty states that the number of volunteers is increasing and about 2/3 of these "consensual" executions have been in the past 6 years, including 5 so far this year. Of the volunteers, more than 90% were white, although whites account for about 55% of all executions. The report cites several instances of volunteers who had histories of mental illness.