STATEMENT ON RECENT SPATE OF BOTCHED EXECUTIONS
April 30, 2014 – Conservatives Concerned About the Death Penalty (CCATDP), a national network of conservatives and libertarians questioning the alignment of capital punishment with their principles, issued the following statement by Marc Hyden, Advocacy Coordinator:
“Yesterday’s execution in Oklahoma is just the most recent example of what happens when unchecked government power is shrouded in secrecy. The debacle in Oklahoma began well before the actual execution, including secretly obtained drugs and untested, experimental protocols. Conservatives fear that a government acting in secrecy may well be covering up its own mistakes and abuse. This is not the transparent government that we demand.
“The death penalty is a failed policy. It risks innocent life and it’s far more expensive than life without parole. Earlier this week, a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that the actual number of innocent people sentenced to death is more than double the number we already know about. After last night’s botched execution, it is clear that we can’t even carry it out without making grievous errors. This is a perfect example of why an inherently fallible system run by human beings must be limited.”
About Us
Conservatives Concerned About the Death Penalty is a network of political and social conservatives who question the alignment of capital punishment with conservative principles and values. Specifically, we are questioning a system marked by inefficiency, inequity, and inaccuracy. Conservatives concerned about the death penalty is a project of Equal Justice USA. EJUSA is a national, grassroots organization working to build a criminal justice system that works. For everyone.