Trend away from death penalty on display at conservative conference in Denver

More than 4,000 people are expected to attend the 7th annual Western Conservative Summit, said to be the largest gathering of conservatives outside of the annual CPAC conference in Washington, DC. Also known as “Rally in the Rockies,” the 3-day event takes place this weekend in Denver. EJUSA’s Marc Hyden will be attending the conference… Continue reading Trend away from death penalty on display at conservative conference in Denver

Stakeholders meet at White House to discuss race, trauma, and disrupting cycle of violence

EJUSA staff were at the White House last week with health and violence experts, discussing the national movement to frame and address violence as a public health issue. Executive Director Shari Silberstein, Director of the Trauma Advocacy Initiative Fatimah Loren Muhammad, and Director of Campaigns and Strategy Laura Porter (pictured with Roy Austin, Deputy Assistant… Continue reading Stakeholders meet at White House to discuss race, trauma, and disrupting cycle of violence

Victim services dollars start going to communities in need

The Los Angeles Metropolitan Churches (LAM) is building a network of local churches and community groups to provide trauma-informed services to African-American, Latino, and immigrant crime survivors in South Los Angeles. And now, for the first time, they are receiving federal VOCA funds – funds earmarked for victims services – in order to carry out… Continue reading Victim services dollars start going to communities in need

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

CCATDP’s Marc Hyden on Tipping Point with Liz Wheeler

Last week, I was a guest on Tipping Point with Liz Wheeler to discuss Oklahoma’s damning grand jury report on their lethal injection scandal and Florida’s unconstitutional death penalty. You can watch the segment below: Conservatives Concerned About the Death Penalty (CCATDP), a project of Equal Justice USA, is a network of political and social… Continue reading CCATDP’s Marc Hyden on Tipping Point with Liz Wheeler