A Legacy of Racially Disparate Executions Oklahoma’s death penalty has always disproportionately targeted people of color. The earliest recorded execution in the state occurred in 1841, and of the 39 people executed in the 19th century, 79% were Native American men, while 15% were Black men. It wasn’t until 1899 that the state recorded the…
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Lawmakers in Charleston are currently considering legislation that would reinstate the death penalty in West Virginia, 65 years after the last execution.
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Governor Landry has announced plans to restart executions in Louisiana after a 15-year pause, using a secretive and untested nitrogen gas protocol. This reckless decision ignores the deep flaws in Louisiana’s death penalty system and the risks of botched executions.
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Firing squad executions are cruel, violent, and risk traumatizing those ordered to carry them out. They are a step backward in a country where more states are moving to end the death penalty altogether.
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Execution by nitrogen hypoxia or gas suffocation not only violates fundamental human rights but also evokes painful memories of the Holocaust, where millions of Jews and others were murdered in gas chambers.
Act Now48,000 people die each year from gun violence. Last June, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy announced that gun violence is a public health crisis and he’s not alone. One of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s approaches to addressing this public health crisis is advancing collaboration across multiple sectors. Collaboration through a public…
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Tremane Wood, currently on death row in the Oklahoma State Penitentiary with his execution scheduled for 2025, is a grandfather, a father, a partner, a mentor, a friend, and a man who believes in second chances — not just for himself and his family, but for everyone discarded by society. He is the kind of…
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By: Mona Cadena, Advocacy and Campaigns Director; Jaylah Cosby, Research and Impact Manager The words we use matter. When politicians and policymakers describe people as “heinous,” “vile criminals,” “evil,” “barbaric,” or “alien,” they aren’t just speaking in extremes. They’re laying the groundwork for policies that increase punishment, expand incarceration, and ultimately makes all of us…
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A few weeks ago, I found myself in a small but firm debate with my husband about our daughter’s antibiotics. Doctors prescribed a 10-day course, and as she started feeling better, the question arose: Do we really need to finish the full treatment? Absolutely. We had to. Because if you stop treatment too soon, the…
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In Charlottesville, a growing movement is working to address the challenges of reentry for formerly incarcerated individuals, ensuring they have the support they need to reintegrate into the community. At the heart of this effort is the Charlottesville Area Justice Coalition, a network of justice-oriented groups that came together to foster collaboration and amplify their…
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