Death Penalty (Also see Criminal Justice) – Glen's Parallax Perspectives

Information and insights about why to abolish the death penalty

June 21, 2023 GlenAnderson 0

Since 1987 I have invested a huge amount of time and effort into strengthening the movement to abolish the death penalty. I’m attaching something I wrote that directly addresses the concerns of people who support the death penalty and explains why we do not need it at all. Here is the document whose usefulness I explain below: Death Penalty Fails its Promises and Causes More Problems Instead I use a three-step process that I’ve used when devising outreach strategies for various issues: The current public policy fails to solve the problem it purports to solve. The current policy actually […]

Click to sign petition to free Rodney Reed, who is INNOCENT but still in prison

May 28, 2023 GlenAnderson 0

This came on April 28, 2023 from the Grassroots Law Project, www.grassrootslaw.org For over 2 decades, Rodney Reed has been rotting in jail for a crime he did not commit with a death penalty looming over him. With a lot of effort, we were able to remove the death penalty for him — and now we have more good news on this case. With unbelievable support from you, Glen, this week the Supreme Court has cleared the way for Rodney Reed to use DNA evidence to prove his innocence. This is HUGE news! But we still have a long way […]

Sister Helen Prejean spoke about an innocent man on death row whose trial was grossly unfair.

May 28, 2023 GlenAnderson 0

On May 8, 2023, Sister Helen Prejean was interviewed about a horrible decades-long case of Oklahoma’s mania to execute an innocent person. Now even Oklahoma’s Attorney General says Richard Glossip did not receive a fair trial. Even if you already know about Richard Glossip’s tragic situation, this interview will be interesting. If you do not already know, this information will be powerful. https://www.democracynow.org/2023/5/8/richard_glossip_prejean?utm_source=Democracy+Now%21&utm_campaign=171a29f9d3-Daily_Digest_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_fa2346a853-171a29f9d3-191704661

A strategically smart 3-step testimony for legislation to abolish the DP

May 28, 2023 GlenAnderson 0

Many times I have testified to Washington State legislative committees. In 2020 I did this again. I’m attaching below a slightly longer version of what I said. This document summarizes a strategically smart three-step process to convince people (legislators, the public, etc.) why it is important to abolish the death penalty — and why abolishing it would not endanger the public. A major obstacle in convincing the public and legislatures to abolish the DP is their fear that it protects our safety. My third point in this testimony points out that we could abolish it without endangering public safety. It […]

Amnesty International’s new report on the death penalty worldwide

May 28, 2023 GlenAnderson 0

Amnesty International posted this new information on May 16, 2023: Worldwide executions have reached the highest level in five years. According to Amnesty’s new Death Penalty Report 2022 released today, the Middle East and North Africa’s most notorious executioners carried out killing sprees and China remains the world’s leading executioner. “It’s often those from disadvantaged backgrounds disproportionately affected by this callous punishment.” Agnès Callamard, Amnesty International’s Secretary General VIEW REPORT (PDF) Amnesty International recorded 883 executions in 20 countries in 2022, a 53% increase from 579 recorded in 2021. This figure represents the highest number of executions Amnesty International recorded in […]

Death Penalty 101: Learn the “talking points” about why to abolish it: May 31 on Zoom for just one hour

May 28, 2023 GlenAnderson 0

Do you want to repeal the death penalty but don’t know the talking points? Have you gotten involved in the anti-death penalty movement but don’t know the history? This meeting is for you! Come learn about the history of the death penalty and the many arguments against it. There is a midday time and an evening time, both events will have the same content, so pick the time that works best for you to attend this virtual Zoom session. Death Penalty 101 Wednesday, May 31 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM – Register here 5:30 PM – 6:30 PM – Register here Virtual […]

Besides humanizing state-level prison sentences, FEDERAL SENTENCING LAW must be overhauled too.

March 23, 2023 GlenAnderson 0

We must COMPLETELY RE-THINK federal sentencing law: Tackling Excessive Sentences Thousands of people in federal prison are serving severe, outdated sentences that Congress no longer believes are fair. A 2022 Supreme Court decision that seemed to broaden the availability of reduced prison time has been interpreted inconsistently, extending uncertainty on this issue. In the short term, carefully crafted rules can allow judges to offer relief on a case-by-case basis. But ultimately, ending unjust penalties will require a top-to-bottom rethinking of federal sentencing law. Congress must pass the “SECOND LOOK” legislation to reduce some sentences: A man who had been […]

Good news! Oregon’s governor stopped death penalty before leaving office!

February 7, 2023 GlenAnderson 0

Oregon’s voters elected a new governor in November 2022. The outgoing governor took a strong, smart action before her term expired. See news here: https://www.opb.org/article/2022/12/13/oregon-governor-kate-brown-death-penalty-sentence-commutations/? The news was reported at this link too: https://www.opb.org/article/2022/12/13/oregon-governor-kate-brown-death-penalty-sentence-commutations/?utm_source=The+Marshall+Project+Newsletter&utm_campaign=97d1f68c90-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2022_12_14_12_05&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_5e02cdad9d-97d1f68c90-%5BLIST_EMAIL_ID%5D In a few states people are considering whether to use their initiative process to gather signatures and force a statewide election to abolish the death penalty. That is a long, hard, expensive slog. A ballot initiative is not necessary. Oregon’s law is still on the books until the legislature repeals it. But in late 2022 Oregon’s Governor commuted the sentences of all people on that […]

Urgent: Save innocent Tony Apanovitch from Ohio’s death penalty

February 7, 2023 GlenAnderson 0

I’m on the e-mail list of Ohioans to Stop Executions (OTSE). They do good work in one of the few northern states that still uses the death penalty. See their message below urging people to tell Ohio to save the life of an innocent person. I hope you will contact Ohio’s governor and parole board. I clicked their links and sent letters. I reworded their letters as follows: OTSE sent this message and asked us to help: Hello Glen, The State of Ohio is on track to execute an innocent man. Tony Apanovitch’s innocence is not just a matter […]

Strategically smart messages toward abolishing the death penalty

February 4, 2023 GlenAnderson 0

Building a movement to abolish the death penalty – both through changing public opinion and then through passing legislation – requires strategically smart messaging. Below I’m attaching something I wrote that uses 3 smart steps to help people recognize that the status quo is broken and to decide we can abolish the death penalty without sacrificing public safety: Fact #1: The death penalty does not deliver what it promises. Fact #2: The death penalty makes existing problems worse and it causes more problems. Fact #3: We can let go of the death penalty and still be safe. I wrote […]

Martin Luther King, Jr., said these things about various issues

January 8, 2023 GlenAnderson 0

When people refer to MLK as the “Reverend Dr.,” they are recognizing that he did indeed earn a Ph.D. in philosophy in addition to completing formal theological studies and being ordained. He thought clearly and wisely. Below I’m sharing with you some things he said about several different issues — and always grounded in humane ethics. On April 4, 1967, King spoke about the Vietnam war and overall U.S. foreign policy to an audience at Riverside Church in New York City. Many of the things he said there have been quoted widely. He explicitly denounced the injustices and […]

YES! We really CAN organize grassroots movements to solve big, hard, scary problems!

September 1, 2022 GlenAnderson 0

Many important issues (climate, nuclear weapons, etc.) are big and scary to think about, so many people do not want to think about them. Many people feel that those problems are so big and are imposed upon us by powerful forces (big businesses, the Pentagon, etc.). This power imbalance causes many people feel that they are powerless to solve the problems because the problems were created and are perpetuated by forces that are so big and powerful, and that we are too small and weak to oppose them. It’s easier to simply avoid dealing with them. As a result, the […]

What issues do YOU care about? FREE online workshops help you organize grassroots movements: Sept-Oct 2022. Gather online. Learn together. Organize to solve problems!

August 30, 2022 GlenAnderson 0

You have more power than you know! On issue after issue, the status quo is horribly broken. The good news is we can organize grassroots movements to solve the problems! You can strengthen your skills and strategies for organizing grassroots movements! Here is FREE HELP for ALL of the issues you care about! Let’s choose a bold, positive future! Let’s solve the problems! Let’s build savvy grassroots movements to accomplish bold goals for whatever YOU care about: peace, social/economic justice, environment/climate, humane politics, and more! You can significantly strengthen your skills – and gain new resources – if […]

Everything is wrong with the death penalty. Read this report.

June 8, 2022 GlenAnderson 0

Read this report about what is wrong with the death penalty: https://afgj.org/everythings-wrong-with-it-the-us-death-penalty?eType=EmailBlastContent&eId=e4decd98-1c4d-455b-981c-10b3390a4220 If you want to strengthen your insights, skills, and resources, sign up for my powerful, practical and empowering workshops about HOW TO ORGANIZE AN EFFECTIVE GRASSROOTS MOVEMENT TO ABOLISH THE DEATH PENALTY. See information here: https://parallaxperspectives.org/abolish-death-penalty-sign-up-for-free-online-workshops-from-mid-june-to-mid-july-2022

Workshop #1: Here are the readings for Workshop #1.

June 7, 2022 GlenAnderson 0

I invite anyone who has not yet signed up for this series of 6 workshops to contact me at glenanderson@integra.net or (360) 491-9093. See information about the series at https://parallaxperspectives.org/sign-up-now-for-free-practical-online-workshops-to-help-you-make-more-progress-on-issues-you-care-about-2 The series that is relevant to ANY ISSUE runs from 6:00 to 8:00 pm PACIFIC TIME. The series with a special focus on ABOLISHING THE DEATH PENALTY runs from 3:00 to 5:00 pm PACIFIC TIME. If you live elsewhere, please adjust for your own time zone. Each 2-hour workshop in this 6-part series (“Nonviolent Grassroots Organizing”) includes a lot of substantive information, inspiration, and practical usefulness. Each workshop is supplemented […]