Conservatives Concerned about the Death Penalty was recently featured in a story by the Washington Times. I was interviewed by journalist Danny Huizinga about why many conservatives believe the death penalty in practice cannot coexist with our principles. The article goes on to say,
“In the end, the best argument comes to pragmatism and limited government. “Whether you support the death penalty biblically or theoretically, we can all agree that our government does not run it efficiently, with the proper efficacy, or fairly in practice,” Hyden says.”
Chase Blasi, Colwich, Kansas City Councilman, recently penned an article in the Wichita Eagle advocating for Kansas to take initiative and repeal the death penalty. Blasi attended CPAC with CCATDP and continues to raise awareness about the failures of the death penalty system. In his article, Blasi said,
“If we, as conservatives, are serious about cutting costs and promoting a culture of life, then our position on the death penalty is a no-brainer. Repeal it.”
Today the Ludwig Von Mises Institute published a piece that I wrote. The article explores the constant failures of the government to maintain capital punishment as a program and attempted to find the source of what makes the death penalty process a failure process. I said,
“The framework that governs the death penalty guarantees dysfunction.”
I went on to say,
“The death penalty’s inception may not be based on nefarious schemes and likely comes out of a desire to ensure justice and safety. However, the government’s monopoly on criminal justice proceedings and its insulation from responsibility when the system fails, are at the root of the system’s failures.”
Conservatives Concerned about the Death Penalty’s Ben Jones wrote an article for the Cato Institute‘s Libertarianism.org. The article discusses how capital punishment, in practice and in theory, are inconsistent with libertarian philosophies. Jones explained,
“There is a long American tradition, then, of suspicion toward the power to execute, evident in measures limiting and even eliminating this power. But the federal government has bucked this trend recently.”
“Fortunately, more states are recognizing the dangers of entrusting government with the power to execute. Six states in the past six years already have abandoned the death penalty, and more are looking to do the same. Repeal of the death penalty will not solve all the ills of concentrated power, but it will move us toward a more limited government. Libertarians have every reason to support efforts furthering this goal.”
After forming a strategic partnership with Young Americans for Liberty (YAL), YAL published a piece written by Ben Jones. Ben said,
“Those committed to limiting the power of government have every reason to reject the death penalty. After all, few powers are more dangerous or more prone to abuse than the power to execute. When we look at the death penalty’s application in the United States, it becomes clear the inevitable dangers that this power poses.”
He went on to say,
“Given how broken and costly this system is, leading figures in the Liberty Movement are calling for an end to the death penalty. Ron Paul recently endorsed CCATDP, praising the group’s “efforts to form a coalition of libertarians and conservatives to work to end capital punishment.” Jeff Frazee, YAL’s Executive Director, also has voiced his opposition to the death penalty: “I first supported the death penalty until I found out how many innocent individuals were being killed and how costly it was on the taxpayers….
YAL & CCATDP STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP ANNOUNCED
LIBERTY GROUP concerned about the death penalty
October 21, 2013 – Conservatives Concerned about the Death Penalty (CCATDP) is pleased to be named a Strategic Partner of Young Americans for Liberty (YAL), the largest, most active, and fastest growing pro-liberty organization on America’s college campuses. As a Strategic Partner of YAL, CCATDP looks forward to working closely with YAL chapters across the country and providing students with opportunities to become involved in the growing movement to end the death penalty.
“We are thrilled to begin this new partnership with Young Americans for Liberty, one of the premier organizations advancing liberty in the nation,” says CCATDP’s Marc Hyden. “Many young people, libertarians, and constitutional conservatives have expressed concerns about the death penalty and become active with CCATDP, so this partnership is a natural fit for us. It is a wonderful opportunity to partner closely with the talented students active in YAL.”
Jeff Frazee, the founder and Executive Director of YAL, has come to see repeal of the death penalty as an important goal for advancing liberty: “I first supported the death penalty until I found out how many innocent individuals were being killed and how costly it was on the taxpayers.
The American Bar Association recently completed a two-year study of Texas’ death penalty with a nonpartisan panel of experts. They concluded what we already knew, that the death penalty is a broken, expensive, and dangerous government program. Texas ranks third in the nation with a dozen people being sentenced to death and later freed after evidence was discovered that they were wrongly convicted. You can read our statement on the assessment here.
Then two weeks ago, the Death Penalty Information Center released a report that found only 2% of U.S. counties are responsible for the majority of death sentences in the country. Anyone who believes in basic American fairness, fiscal responsibility, and limited government has to be concerned when an expensive, inefficient system riddled with problems is utilized by so few and subsidized by everybody else.
On the road, on the airwaves
Stories like these are why growing numbers of conservatives are welcoming us with open arms at events and news outlets across the country.
Questioning a system marked by inefficiency, inequity, and inaccuracy.
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.
We are a project of Equal Justice USA, a national organization working to end the death penalty in the United States.
Test the popup