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Arkansas Supreme Court Decision Allows New DNA Testing in Case of the ​“West Memphis Three,” Convicted of Killing Three Children in 1993

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On April 18, 2024, the Arkansas Supreme Court decided 4-3 to reverse a 2022 lower court decision and allow genetic testing of crime scene evidence from the 1993 killing of three eight-year-old boys in West Memphis. The three men convicted in 1994 for the killings were released in 2011 after taking an Alford plea, in which they maintained their innocence but plead guilty to the crime, in exchange for 18 years’ time served and 10 years of a suspended sentence. 

Alternatives to the death penalty: Report

Alternatives to the death penalty Information Pack

A short guide to the fundamental issues and arguments linked to introduction of alternative sanctions following abolition of the death penalty. 

It reviews current trends in the application of long-term and life imprisonment, highlighting relevant international and regional human rights standards and provides examples of good practice.

Topics covered include:


  • Current practices worldwide regarding alternatives to the death penalty
  • Different forms of life sentence
  • Life without parole
  • A human rights framework for life and long-term prisoners
  • Solitary confinement for life and long-term prisoners
  • Vulnerable life and long-term prisoners
  • Monitoring prisons where life and long-term prisoners are held
  • Social reintegration of those serving life sentences
  • Plus a 12-point plan for policy-makers on how to implement alternative sanctions to the death penalty that respect international human rights norms and standards.


This edition was published in 2015 and replaces the first edition published in 2011.


Source: Penal Reform International, March 2015

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