State by state, resolution drives are laying the groundwork for moratorium campaigns.

How it began

Equal Justice USA's Moratorium Now! campaign was launched in 1997, when the death penalty was an unassailable facet of the U.S. justice system. It was common back then to see multiple executions carried out across America in a single week, and the number of death sentences and executions just kept growing.

Our campaign was fueled by a simple idea: if people began an honest dialog about how the death penalty worked in practice, instead of whether it was right or wrong in theory, they would be horrified to learn how flawed it was. We put out a call – to faith communities, schools, civic groups, businesses, and city councils – to begin that dialog by passing resolutions calling for a moratorium on executions while these flaws were studied and addressed.

Why it works

Our bottom-up approach builds support at the grassroots level, which in turn generates support within local governments, which impacts the state level, and then the national level.

A moratorium is a pause – not an end – to executions. This pause creates common ground for people on both sides of the death penalty debate to learn about the system’s flaws and determine how to move forward.

Moratorium resolutions are the vehicle that helps begin that debate in local communities, increasing awareness and grassroots support. Each resolution that is proposed – even if it doesn’t pass! – offers a chance for dialog about the death penalty's systemic flaws. And every resolution that does pass sends a strong message to lawmakers and provides an opportunity for media attention.

Change does not occur in a vacuum. Each resolution that passes is another building block in the campaign, representing a group of people who elect officials at the local, state and national level. When ratified resolutions reach those elected leaders, we exert grassroots pressure to halt to executions.

An ever-growing list

Executions peaked in 1999, with a total of 98 – more than any point since the beginning of the century.

And then the tide began to turn. Eight people were freed that year after being sentenced to die for crimes they did not commit, and nine more were exonerated the year after. That same year, our Moratorium Now! resolution campaign had gathered over 500 groups to call for a moratorium. And by the dawn of the new millennium, our National Tally of moratorium endorsers had grown to almost 2,000 groups.

Today, 4,835 groups have called for a moratorium, including 152 local governments. A majority of Americans now support a moratorium on executions, and support for the death penalty overall is the lowest it's been in years.

An organizing tool

Grassroots campaigns for a moratorium have used moratorium resolutions as an organizing tool to build a base of support for the larger effort. If you are part of a statewide or local group looking for ways to expand your base, consider a resolution drive. Resolution drives provide a focus with achievable goals for state coalitions, and an “entry point” for new people brought into our movement. How many resolutions does your group want to pass this year? In which legislative districts? In which constituencies? The next time someone approaches you and asks you what they can do to help, tell them, “Get a resolution!”

Please join us in this campaign and be a part of national trend!