Meet the red-state conservatives fighting to abolish the death penalty

Nebraska state Sen. Colby Coash pushed his fellow conservatives in the state legislature to repeal the death penalty there. (Andrew Dickinson/(for The Washington Post))

In college, Senator Colby Coash celebrated at a tailgate party outside of a prison during an execution. Now he’s part of the growing conservative movement to end the death penalty in the United States – a movement that EJUSA’s Conservatives Concerned About the Death Penalty has helped spawn. Read The Washington Post’s in-depth article about… Continue reading Meet the red-state conservatives fighting to abolish the death penalty

Ta-Nehisi Coates on a possible death sentence in Charleston church

A sign is pictured at a makeshift memorial for victims of a mass shooting, outside the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, June 22, 2015. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri

In June 2015, Dylann Roof allegedly killed nine African Americans in a mass shooting in a black church in Charleston last year. The families of the victims responded to the tragedy with powerful messages of forgiveness. Now, the DOJ has declared it wants to execute Roof for the crime, even though his death by lethal… Continue reading Ta-Nehisi Coates on a possible death sentence in Charleston church

Evangelical activist Shane Claiborne shares his support for death penalty repeal in new book

  Is anyone beyond redemption? What does true justice look like? Does God support capital punishment? These are a few of the questions raised in a new book, Executing Grace, by Shane Claiborne. The book was released yesterday and is available at your local (or online) bookstore. Claiborne is a prominent Christian speaker, activist, and… Continue reading Evangelical activist Shane Claiborne shares his support for death penalty repeal in new book

Death penalty chaos around the country

Nevada just became the ninth death penalty state to go a decade or more without an execution. Add those nine to the 19 states without capital punishment, and you have 28 states that have abandoned executions in either law or practice. And in the remaining states? The death penalty is in complete chaos. Florida’s death… Continue reading Death penalty chaos around the country

Building a justice system rooted in healing

EJUSA is thrilled to be featured in a new publication, “A Handbook for Jewish Communities Fighting Mass Incarceration,” by the Jewish human rights organization, T’ruah. The Handbook is a comprehensive guide for action from a Jewish perspective. It contains background information on various aspects of mass incarceration, from what happens when police stop people on the streets, to… Continue reading Building a justice system rooted in healing

U.S. Supreme Court agrees to hear Duane Buck’s racial bias death penalty case

Today, the U.S. Supreme Court announced it would hear arguments in Buck v. Stephens, a death penalty case raising extraordinary issues of racial bias. Duane Buck is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to reverse a lower court’s ruling that his case did not warrant re-consideration, despite his claim that his lawyer was constitutionally ineffective for knowingly… Continue reading U.S. Supreme Court agrees to hear Duane Buck’s racial bias death penalty case

Recommended this week

“Recommended this week” features highlights from the past week in news about the death penalty, crime survivors, and trauma-informed responses to crime. Meet the red-state conservatives fighting to abolish the death penalty, The Washington Post In college, Senator Colby Coash celebrated at a tailgate party outside of a prison during an execution. Now he’s part of the growing… Continue reading Recommended this week

Leading Latino Coalition Calls for End of the Death Penalty in U.S.

Group’s landmark policy agenda addresses criminal justice for the first time The National Hispanic Leadership Agenda (NHLA), a coalition of 40 prominent Latino organizations, has called for repeal of the death penalty. Collectively, the NHLA leads advocacy behind pressing civil rights and policy issues impacting the 58-million Latinos living in the U.S. The NHLA Public… Continue reading Leading Latino Coalition Calls for End of the Death Penalty in U.S.

Case of racial bias on appeal to Supreme Court

Duane Buck was sentenced to death in Texas after his own lawyer called an “expert” who testified that Buck was more likely to be dangerous in the future because he is black. At this crucial moment, when our nation is addressing racial bias in the criminal justice system, the U.S. Supreme Court is expected to… Continue reading Case of racial bias on appeal to Supreme Court