Questioning a system marked by inefficiency, inequity, and inaccuracy.
Our Vision
Our vision is of a time when the death penalty no longer exists and when society meets the needs of people impacted by violence.
Our Mission
Conservatives Concerned is a network of political and social conservatives who question the alignment of capital punishment with conservative principles and values. Our programs including educating conservatives about the failed death penalty system and mobilizing them to bring about its end.
We support effective responses to violence that help survivors and loved ones heal, ensure accountability, and promote opportunities for redemption. We believe that families, neighborhoods, and communities can thrive when justice is truly for all.
We come to this issue for a variety of reasons:
- Some of us believe that small government and the death penalty don’t go together, especially when we compare the high costs of capital punishment to life without possibility of release.
- Some of us don’t trust the state to get it right. We already know that some innocent people have been sentenced to death, and for others it may already be too late.
- Some of us are disturbed by the roller coaster for family members of murder victims, or wonder why we’re investing so much in a system that doesn’t keep us any safer than the alternatives.
- Some of us believe that the death penalty contradicts our values about protecting life.
- And for many other reasons…
Conservatives Concerned traces its roots to Montana, where conservative Montana lawmakers and Republican party officials came together to call for an end to capital punishment, citing exorbitant costs. Their ranks continued to grow, including current and former state legislators, party leaders, and other conservatives in Big Sky Country.
Some of the Montana members saw the potential to connect with national conservative leaders who were also questioning the death penalty in growing numbers. In March 2013, we launched nationally as Conservatives Concerned About the Death Penalty at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), represented by founders, members, and staff from Montana, Texas, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, and Georgia.
Since then, conservatives have helped end the death penalty in New Hampshire, Colorado, and Virginia, and Republican lawmakers have sponsored death penalty repeal legislation in states like Ohio, Wyoming, and Utah. Today, Conservatives Concerned continues to grow and expand.
We are a project of Equal Justice USA, a national organization working to end the death penalty in the United States.
Our Team
Demetrius Minor
National Manager
Nicholas Cote
States Strategist
Nan Tolson
Texas State Director
