Earlier this week, an article that I wrote was published in the ultra conservative Washington Examiner. In the piece, I expanded on the conservative case against the death penalty. I wrote: Regardless of whether one supports the death penalty in theory, in practice capital punishment has a long documented history of failing to live up to conservative…
Our friends at the Legislative Initiative Against the Death Penalty (LIADP) are sponsoring a writing contest for high school seniors (class of 2016). LIADP’s Pauline Underwood Memorial Scholarship urges students to write a persuasive letter to the editor, supporting repeal of the death penalty in their state. Author of the winning letter will receive a…
Former New York City Council member Ronnie M. Eldridge hosted EJUSA Executive Director Shari Silberstein for her 30-minute show, Eldridge & Co. The show airs several times this week on local New York City’s CUNY TV with Shari and Ronnie talking about the national decline in the death penalty, EJUSA’s campaigns in favor of repeal, and…
By every measure the death penalty is in decline, according to the Death Penalty Information Center (DPIC)’s 2015 Year End Report. Executions, death sentences, public support, and the number of jurisdictions participating in the death penalty were all at historic lows. Even Texas only sentenced two people to death in 2015. DPIC’s report went national, with…
As the Chair of the EJUSA Board of Directors, I know all about the difference EJUSA makes in the movement to end the death penalty and transform the justice system. I see it every day. That is why it brings me great pleasure to share with you EJUSA’s 2015 impact report. Click here to read the…
By every measure, the death penalty declined again in 2015. A new report released today by the Death Penalty Information Center (DPIC) found: There were fewer executions in 2015 than any year in the last two decades. The number of death sentences in 2015 is down 33% from just last year, and down 84% from…
As the year comes to a close, there will be many opportunities to look back at how 2015 stacked up in terms of the country’s use of the death penalty. NPR’s Nina Totenberg – known for her analysis of the Supreme Court – took a first stab, looking at the low number of executions in…
Most states will start the New Year with a new legislative session, which means supporters of death penalty repeal are preparing efforts to end the death penalty across the country. In the wake of repeal in Nebraska – an effort championed by conservatives – more Republicans are stepping up to lead many of these campaigns. In…
Like many people around the country, the people of Delaware – especially African Americans – have grown increasingly frustrated with the criminal justice system. Reflection, education, and dialogue have led to an urgency for action, and the state’s death penalty has come to the forefront as the highest priority. “People in Delaware, especially within the…
The National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) recently changed their 40-year pro-death penalty position, noting serious concerns with the death penalty and acknowledging growing opposition and differing views on the issue among Evangelicals. NAE’s board of directors voted for the resolution giving guidance to the NAE’s more than 45,000 congregations from nearly 40 different denominations, serving…