The Right Way, Death Penalty Focus, Conservatives Concerned About the Death Penalty, World Day Against the Death Penalty, Wrongful Conviction Day 2017

This month, we’re looking at how the United States cast a vote against a UN resolution condemning the death penalty for homosexuality, among other non-crimes. A Texas man sentenced to death in a race-tainted case was sentenced to life without parole in a plea deal. John Thompson, who spent 14 years on death row for a crime he didn’t commit, died last week at the age of 55. Wrongful Conviction Day and the 15th Annual World Day Against the Death Penalty were both observed this month, while Florida, Arkansas, and Alabama were just a few of the states forging ahead with executions. A Florida death row chaplain is taking aim at a book that urges Catholics to support the death penalty, while we have a list of articles about criminal justice that we think are worth reading. Finally, Bethany Webb, whose sister was killed in the Seal Beach massacre, shares her thoughts on the life sentence the killer was given late last month.

CCATDP (Conservatives Concerned About the Death Penalty) formed in 2013 to shatter the myth of universal conservative death penalty support. With your help, I believe that we have accomplished that goal. Grassroots conservatives and many well-known political thought leaders are now openly questioning capital punishment with great frequency.

A mere four years since our founding, we have proof that conservative lawmakers are also increasingly supporting death penalty repeal. Today at a press conference at the National Press Club in Washington D.C., we unveiled our report, “The Right Way,” which demonstrates this point.

Joined by current and former Republican death penalty repeal sponsors, I spoke at the press event and highlighted our exciting findings. From the year 2000 to 2012, the annual number of Republican state lawmakers sponsoring death penalty repeal bills never rose above single digits. However, in 2013 (the year CCATDP launched), the number of Republican sponsors more than doubled to 20.

The numbers have stayed in the double digits ever since. In fact, in 2016, ten times as many Republicans sponsored repeal bills than in 2000.

The change in the conservative world is being felt outside of state capitols too. Kansas is a prime example of this. The state’s Republican Party recently abandoned its pro-death penalty position. Meanwhile, the Kansas Republican Liberty Caucus and Kansas Federation of College Republicans adopted resolutions calling for the death penalty’s repeal.

Kansas isn’t the exception. Activists in red states across the US are turning against capital punishment, which is why we now have 11 state-based Conservatives Concerned about the Death Penalty groups, with more likely on the way.

But there’s more good news: Death sentences, executions, and support for the death penalty are all at or near historic lows.

Capital punishment’s slow decline is a welcome development, but it’s no coincidence that as conservative death penalty opposition rises, capital punishment itself continues to dwindle. You’re a part of that change, and for that, we thank you!