The Death Penalty Information Center has released their annual report on the death penalty and for the fourth consecutive year the United States saw fewer than 30 executions and less than 50 new death sentences. This marks an ongoing, long-term decline in capital punishment in the country.
Not only did 2018 see a decrease in sentences and executions, it also saw repeal legislation passed through two Republican controlled chambers in New Hampshire (falling only two votes shy of veto override majority) and the death penalty struck down in the state of Washington after undeniable evidence of racial bias in the system reached the state supreme court.
In addition to this, seven counties with prosecutors who frequently used the death penalty saw these officials voted out in favor of reform-minded District Attorneys, and two GOP U.S. Senate candidates announced opposition to the death penalty during the primaries and won their parties nomination.
As a whole, 2018 has been a smashing success — one that saw only eight states carry out an execution at all (with Texas) accounting for more than half of the 25) and with strong support for repeal swelling in battleground areas.
In a recent article at Newsmax, the leader of CCATDP questioned the secrecy surrounding the death penalty system in the United States and pointed to the questionable tactics some states are using to limit the information available to the public about their systems.
From the article:
“States are now blocking information about the drugs they are using in lethal injections, and not just from the public, but frequently from the very manufacturers producing the drugs who do not want their product used in this manner.”
“Since 2011, thirteen state legislatures have passed new laws that have enacted secrecy statutes to prevent the public from obtaining important information about executions. Eight additional states have invoked existing laws or protocols to refuse disclosing this type of information. In four of these states, it is either a civil or criminal offense to disclose such information.”
“These laws are a mechanism for the government to thwart the constitutional rights of individuals, the ability of courts to ensure the protection of those rights, and the capability for the public to hold their government accountable.
This month, Clemente Aguirre-Jarquin became the 164th person exonerated from death row in the United States and the 28th death row inmate exonerated from Florida.
Aguirre-Jarquin spent over 14 years imprisoned for a crime he did not commit, and the circumstances that led to his wrongful conviction are shocking. Despite the case against him being flimsy from the beginning, the District Attorney made a shocking move after the Florida Supreme Court overturned his conviction and pursued death for a second time even though anther person had confessed to the crime.
Fortunately, justice finally prevailed and the second case was thrown out when even more evidence of another person’s guilt poured in.
This month, our National Manager Hannah Cox wrote a piece for her Newsmax column that discusses the reasons the death penalty actually makes Americans less safe.
This article offers a rarely examined perspective that walks readers through the ways the death penalty not only fails to act as a deterrent, but actually straps police departments and other portions of the justice system and limits resources that could be used to solve crime and prevent future tragedies.
From the article:
It is in no way just to waste millions of dollars a year pursuing death for a few cases while most victims receive no justice whatsoever, nor is it just to waste millions of hard-working Americans’ tax dollars on a system that provides them nothing in return.
If the primary purpose of the system is to make society safer and actually advance justice, then the death penalty not only fails to contribute to that goal, it acts as a huge barrier.
You can read the full piece here.
On Tuesday, November 20th the Tennessee Chapter of Conservatives Concerned About the Death Penalty will host an event featuring Ray Krone, the 100th man exonerated from death row. The event will be held at The University of Tennessee’s Haslam Business School from 6:30-7:30 pm ET.
Further details are available at the Eventbrite link here.
Last month, CCATDP held events across the great state of Louisiana to discuss the conservative case against the death penalty. From Lake Charles, to the capital in Baton Rouge, to New Orleans, our staff met with many on the right who have become concerned with the flaws in the state’s death penalty system.
In New Orleans, CCATDP partnered with Tulane University’s Young Americans for Liberty, where our National Manager Hannah Cox joined the Promise of Justice Initiative’s Michael Cahoon to present the bipartisan case for death penalty repeal. Over 60 students participated in the event.
In Baton Rouge, CCATDP held an event at LSU’s Law School and was joined by Louisiana death row exoneree, Damon Thibodeaux.
And in Lake Charles, LA, CCATDP presented to a group of grassroot conservatives and libertarians who were eager to use their voices to elevate the issues with the death penalty.
Thanks for a great week, Louisiana! We’ll be back soon and are officially launching CCATDP Louisiana in 2019!
Last week, the Washington State Supreme Court unanimously struck down the state’s death penalty statute and commuted the sentences of all 8 men who were on death row. The court ruled that the law was unconstitutional “because it is imposed in an arbitrary and racially biased manner.”
Chief Justice Mary Fairhurst, writing for the court’s majority, cited a recent crime analysis produced by University of Washington sociologists that found significant variations across counties in the application of the death penalty, and that also found black offenders were four times more likely to receive a death sentence in the state than their white peers. Due to these findings, the court held that the death penalty lacked fundamental fairness and thereby violated the state’s constitutional prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment.
With Thursday’s ruling, Washington becomes the 20th state to overturn or abolish death as a legal punishment. Washington Governor Jay Inslee, who previously supported the death penalty before issuing a moratorium on executions in the state in 2014, said he expects this ruling to end the debate over capital punishment in the state once and for all.
At the end of October, we’re heading to Louisiana for a string of events across the state that will examine the reasons those on both the left and right are turning against the death penalty. We’ll also be talking about the state’s history with the criminal justice system, and looking at other pressing reforms in the state, such as unanimous juries, that impact those caught up in the system.
We hope you’ll join us for an event!
Monday, October 29th | Lake Charles, La | Public Forum
Tuesday, October 30th | Baton Rouge, LA | Panel at LSU’s Law School | Special Guest Death Row Exoneree Damon Thibodeaux
Thursday, November 1st | New Orleans, LA | Tulane University | Hosted by Young Americans for Liberty
Today is the 16th Annual World Day Against the Death Penalty.
Almost three quarters (143 countries) of the world have abolished the death penalty in law or practice. Last year in only 11.5% of the total number of countries of the world, people were executed.
At CCATDP, we’ll continue to work to make the U.S. another country that removes this senseless, wasteful system.
You can read more here.
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.
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