Today, Governor Ralph Northam signed the bill to repeal Virginia’s death penalty, enacting it into law. Virginia is officially the 23rd state to end its death penalty. The work on the ground to achieve this victory was amazing, including our partners from Virginians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty and the Virginia Interfaith Center on…
Reimagining Justice This Month | February 2021 Reimagining Justice This Month highlights stories about effective responses to violence – responses that disrupt cycles of violence, heal trauma, and address structural racism. Evaluation Reports Newark Community Street Team’s Efforts are Effective in Crime Reduction, TAPintoNewark Few cities have done as much as Newark, NJ, to think…
This. Is. Big. Virginia, a former Confederate state that has executed more people than any other state in the country, just just voted to end the death penalty, with the House of Delegates passing an abolition bill 57-41. Virginia’s achievement today once again sounds the death penalty’s demise. But it does more than that. It…
My heart is full as I write this message. On July 31, 2021, I will step down as the executive director of EJUSA after more than 20 years at this organization that I love. The events of the last year have intensified the urgency to reverse centuries of racial injustice in our nation. That…
The world lost a giant yesterday. Bill Pelke, founder of Journey of Hope…from Violence to Forgiveness, passed away in his home in Alaska after suffering a heart attack. Bill is the heart behind the anti-death penalty’s powerful mantra “love and compassion for all of humanity.” He came to this vision — and spread the message…
This week, our allies at the Death Penalty Information Center (DPIC) released “Enduring Injustice: The Persistence of Racial Discrimination in the Death Penalty System.” For the ever-growing number of people who pay attention to justice issues, that blunt subtitle does not come as a shock. That doesn’t make this report — written by Ngozi Ndulue,…
EJUSA mourns the death of one of our long-time partners, Serena Simmons Connelly. To read more about Serena’s incredible life and commitment to justice, you can see her obituary in the Dallas Morning News. I want to celebrate Serena’s life by sharing some personal memories of the friend I’ve known for almost 20 years. One…
Yesterday, Gov. Jared Polis put the final signature in place on a multi-year effort to rid Colorado of the death penalty. The Rocky Mountain state is the 22nd to repeal the death penalty and the 10th state to repeal in the past 13 years. This contributes great momentum to the movement to wipe out capital…
I’m so proud to kick off 2020 with two big announcements. First, EJUSA is turning 30 years old this year! And we’re celebrating this milestone with this new website! The site is a declaration of our bold vision for justice reimagined. With your support, we’re transforming what justice is. We’re rejecting mass incarceration, executions, police…
Family members of murder victims will gather for a press conference at the Colorado State Capitol Monday morning to call on lawmakers to end Colorado’s death penalty. Below is the letter they will be presenting, signed by more than 55 Coloradans who have lost loved ones to violence. January 27, 2020 To the Members of…