Posted March 26, 2024: Citing a Lack of Evidence, Editors of the Scientific American Call for Abolition of the Death Penalty in New Op-Ed https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/news/citing-a-lack-of-evidence-editors-of-the-scientific-american-call-for-abolition-of-the-death-penalty-in-new-op-ed
I have been studying the death penalty extensively since 1987. Over and over again, we see that PROSECUTING ATTORNEYS are NOT seeking truth or justice. THEY JUST WANT TO WIN, so they commit cruel acts, such as suppressing evidence that the defendant is INNOCENT. Here is yet another case of this. It came from www.deathpenaltyaction.org April 25, 2024 will be two years since the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals stayed Melissa Lucio’s execution date and ordered an evidentiary hearing. Why has the evidentiary hearing not been held? We know why. There was never a murder, so they have no […]
The death penalty exists in federal law — and also under military law. More and more states have been abolishing it, but these states still have death penalty laws, but some of these states are not using it: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and Wyoming. If you have family or friends in any of those states, you can help them abolish their states’ death penalty in THESE TWO smart ways: 1. Here is a […]
2021 was the 21st consecutive year of Death Row population decline: https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/news/new-resource-bureau-of-justice-statistics-reports-2021-showed-21st-consecutive-year-of-death-row-population-decline Virginia’s abolition of the death penalty seems so secure now that the abolitionist organization is shutting down. More than two years ago both bodies of Virginia’s legislature voted to abolish it, and the governor signed the abolition bill into law. The November 2023 election continued a comfortable majority of abolitionists in both bodies. The abolitionist organization feels so secure that the death penalty is gone that they are shutting down. POLL: For the First Time, More Americans Believe the Death Penalty Is Applied Unfairly in the […]
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 […]
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 […]
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
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 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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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