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 United States: https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/news/poll-for-the-first-time-more-americans-believe-the-death-penalty-is-applied-unfairly-in-the-united-states
Another report on this Gallup poll: Now only 47% of Americans say the death penalty is applied fairly in the U.S., while 50% say it is applied unfairly. This changed 5% against the death penalty since this was measured most recently in 2018. This news came from DeathPenaltyAction.org
World Psychiatric Association Releases Report Opposing the Death Penalty for People with Mental Illness or Development and Intellectual Disabilities: https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/news/world-psychiatric-association-releases-report-opposing-the-death-penalty-for-people-with-mental-illness-or-development-and-intellectual-disabilities
These short videos feature various kinds of people saying why they oppose the death penalty: https://deathpenaltyaction.org/the-people-vs-the-death-penalty-film-series/
Glen Anderson offers this strategically smart messaging to help us build a movement to abolish the death penalty – both through changing public opinion and then through passing legislation. Below I am 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 this 3-step sequence into this article: Death Penalty Fails its Promises and Causes More Problems Instead
I summarized it into this testimony to a state legislative committee: TESTIMONY 2019.02.05
I encourage people to use this 3-step process to help abolish the death penalty in other places.
