NCADP - The National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty

We hope you can join us at the premier gathering of civil and human rights leaders, citizen activist volunteers, families of murder victims and death row prisoners, attorneys, and law enforcement & crime prevention professionals who support repeal of the death penalty in the United States. Let’s work together to build a common vision of abolishing the death penalty, and focus our movement in a united and strategic way!

NCADP’s 2011 Annual Conference will provide the range and depth of peer conversations, training and networking you need to enhance your skills and expand your resource network.

This year, we’ll be in downtown Chicago, at the updated Renaissance Chicago Hotel, with all that this central location has to offer. We’re proud to partner with the Illinois Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty to make this our best conference ever.

After spending 18 years in prison - and 12 of them on Texas' death row - Anthony Graves has been exonerated and released from prison following an investigation by state prosecutors. Graves, now 45, previously had been convicted of murdering a woman, her daughter, and her four grandchildren in 1992.

To read a statement on the exoneration from Diann Rust-Tierney, Executive Director of NCADP, please click here. To read details about the case, please click here.

Shouting from the Rooftops!

On October 19, 2010, the PBS magazine program "Frontline" launched its 29th season with the in-depth documentary "Death by Fire," which explores the case of Cameron Todd Willingham, wrongfully convicted and executed for arson due to "junk science" stemming from poorly conducted forensic evidence gathering and analysis. The program underscores what fire experts reviewing evidence before and after Willingham's execution have asserted for years: Willingham did not set the fire for which he was executed.

NCADP has increased public awareness about the case in the years since Willingham's execution, beginning with its account of the case in its 2007 report, "Innocent and Executed: Four Chapters in the Life of America's Death Penalty." In 2009, we launched our "Shouting from the Rooftops" campaign to continue to call attention to this case. The campaign takes its name from a comment by U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, who wrote in 2006 that there has not been "a single case - not one - in which it is clear that a person was executed for a crime he did not commit. If such an event had occurred in recent years, we would not have to hunt for it; the innocent's name would be shouted from the rooftops."

Thanks to the the PBS "Frontline" documentary "Death by Fire," and the September 7, 2009 New Yorker article, “Trial by Fire,” we can shout with authority the name of Cameron Todd Willingham, but we need your help to get the message out. Find out more about our “Shouting from the Rooftops” campaign here.

You can also read op-ed articles from Diann Rust-Tierney about Cameron Todd Willingham and the "Frontline" documentary "Death by Fire" here and here.

On October 10, 2010, the eighth annual World Day Against the Death Penalty was observed in several nations around the globe. This year the event was dedicated to the abolishing the death penalty in the United States, which executed 52 people and handed down 106 death sentences in 2009. The day is organized by the World Coalition Against the Death Penalty, an international organization committed to ridding the world of capital punishment. Amnesty International USA has organized activities for each day between October 10 and October 15, and is focusing the day on the high profile possible innocence cases of Reggie Clemons and Troy Davis. For more this year's observance, click here.

As the U.S. Supreme Court begins its session this month, a National Public Radio report notes that retired Justice John Paul Stevens has one regret about his long and illustrious career in the high court – his ruling in the Gregg v. Georgia case, which permitted individual states to resume executions. You can read or listen to the story by clicking here.

Diann Rust-Tierney Discusses Albert Brown's Stay of Execution on "Daily Briefing"

As controversy swirled around a federal judge’s stay of California death row prisoner Albert Brown’s execution due to confusion over the state’s lethal injection protocols and its shortage of one of the lethal drugs, Diann Rust-Tierney, NCADP’s Executive Director, was interviewed on Los Angeles radio station KPFK-FM’s program “Daily Briefing.” Hosted by former BBC news commentator Ian Masters, the program features international and national news, expert guests, policy makers and critics with analysis and insight on national security, foreign and domestic policy, political, cultural and social issues. To hear the interview, click here.

Increasingly, political and religious conservatives are speaking out against capital punishment. Most recently, Richard Viguerie of Conservative HQ and Brent Bozell of the Media Research Center co-wrote an op-ed article, which was published in the Richmond Times-Dispatch, in the wake of Virginia’s execution of death row prisoner Teresa Lewis. Viguerie and Bozell were among several conservatives who called on Governor Bob McDonnell to grant Lewis clemency. See our “In The News” blog for details.

Teresa Lewis, Virginia's Only Female Death Row Prisoner, Executed; U.S. Supreme Court, Governor Bob McDonnell, Refused to Grant Clemency

Despite thousands of pleas from people all over the country and the world through petitions, letters and e-mails to Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell, Teresa Lewis, the state's only woman on death row, was executed on September 23, a few minutes after 9 p.m. Eastern Time.

Lewis was convicted and sentenced for the murder of her husband, Julian Clifton Lewis, Jr., and stepson, Charles J. Lewis, for their insurance money. However, additional facts about Teresa Lewis have since emerged that were not presented at trial. Lewis had an IQ of 72, close to the legal standard of 70 or below that exempts individuals from capital punishment. She was easily led, and suffered from a dependency disorder and other disabilities. Following the death of her mother, a low point in her life, she became acquainted with Matthew Shallenberger and Rodney Fuller, who devised the murder plot. Lewis became romantically involved with Shallenberger, who wrote that he considered their “relationship” “just part of what had to be done to get the money.” Neither Shallenberger nor Fuller – the triggermen – was condemned to death, but were given life sentences.

To read a report on the various factors which made Lewis' case unusual, click here. To view the joint statement by Virginians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty and NCADP issued in the hours prior to Lewis' execution, click here. To hear a recent "Indymedia" program on WRIR Radio in Richmond, Virginia concerning the Lewis case, access it here. And to read Washington Post reporter Maria Glod's account of the execution, which she witnessed for her newspaper, click here.

death sentence has been commuted by Governor Ted Strickland to life without parole. There were various issues in the case that indicated Keith was possibly innocent. Keith's attorneys are committed to continuing their work to prove his innocence.

On Wednesday, July 14, Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen commuted the death sentence of 57-year-old death row prisoner Gaile Owens to life in prison. She was convicted of hiring a man to kill her husband Ron Owens. Supporters, among them Tennessean newspaper publisher and editor John Seigenthaler, renowned civil rights attorney George Barrett, and domestic violence prevention organizations, insisted in sentencing Owens to death, the legal system ignored the years of abuse she suffered during her 13-year marriage. Owens could be eligible for parole in late spring 2012. To read the commutation, click here. To read the statement from Friends of Gaile thanking her supporters for their efforts to win commutation for Owens, click here. To read the Tennessean's account of the case and Governor Bredesen's action, click here.

On November 5, the 11 Circuit Court dismissed Troy Anthony Davis' appeal of the ruling by U.S. District Court Judge William T. Moore, Jr. that he failed to prove his innocence during the evidentiary hearings Judge Moore presided over earlier this summer. Davis' only hope is with the U.S. Supreme Court. To read Amnesty International USA's news release regarding Judge Moore's ruling, click here. To read Georgians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty's news release, click here. And to find out what Amnesty International USA is asking everyone to do to support Davis, click here.

The evidentiary hearings, the first of which was held Wednesday, June 23, marked the first time that Davis' claims of innocence and wrongful conviction for the shooting death of Savannah police officer Mark MacPhail were presented in a courtroom. Amnesty International USA, coordinated mass meetings and rallies nationally and in Savannah expressing support for Davis. Click here for details. Amnesty's Troy Davis blog also includes coverage regarding the second day of the evidentiary hearings on June 24. Laura Moye, AIUSA's Death Penalty Abolition Campaign Director, shared her thoughts about the hearings with Free Speech Radio News. Photographer Scott Langley captured the abolitionists' and allies' expressions of hope and unity as they gathered at the courthouse for the first day of the hearings.

On Tuesday, June 22, a mass meeting was held in Savannah to discuss the hearings and show solidarity with Davis and his family. Speakers participating in the event included Davis' sister Martina Correia, and Larry Cox, Executive Director of Amnesty International.

To view NCADP Executive Director Diann Rust-Tierney's statement regarding Davis' evidentiary hearing and its implications for the death penalty, click here.

NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund Report Documents Race Bias in Death Penalty

The NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund recently released quarterly report on capital punishment, “Death Row U.S.A. Fall 2009” confirms that African Americans are disproportionately given death sentences, and that a defendant is more likely to receive a death sentence when the murder victim is white than when the murder victim is a person of color.

The U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments Wednesday, October 13, 2010, on whether Texas death row prisoner Henry "Hank" Skinner may use the federal Civil Rights Act to have DNA collected by Texas authorities at a murder scene tested. Skinner says the DNA evidence, which was never tested before or after Skinner's murder conviction, would prove him innocent of murder. On May 24,2010, the high court agreed to consider Texas death row prisoner Henry "Hank" Skinner's request to have DNA collected by Texas authorities tested. Skinner says the DNA tests would prove that he did not murder his then girlfriend and her two adult sons. The high court will use Skinner's case to determine whether prison inmates may use a federal civil rights law to implement DNA testing that was not performed prior to their convictions.

Skinner's attorney Rob Owen said in a statement, "We are pleased that the Supreme Court has agreed to hear Mr. Skinner's appeal. That decision represents the necessary first step to our eventually obtaining the DNA testing that Mr. Skinner has long sought. We look forward to the opportunity to persuade the Court that if a State official arbitrarily denies a prisoner access to evidence for DNA testing, the prisoner should be allowed to challenge that decision in a federal civil rights lawsuit."

The new development comes two months after Skinner was almost put to death. Barely an hour before Texas death row prisoner Henry "Hank" Skinner was scheduled to be executed Wednesday, March 24, 2010, at 6 p.m. Central Time the U.S. Supreme Court granted an indefinite stay.

Skinner has always maintained his innocence, but Texas has held on to the DNA from the crime scene for more than 10 years, and has refused to test it. For additional detail, see Scotusblog or CNN . The CNN link includes an embedded video of a March 24 "Larry King Live" segment featuring an interview with Skinner's wife, Sandrine Ageorges-Skinner, and Curtis McCarty, who was released from death row in 1997 after spending more than 20 years in an Oklahoma prison for a crime he didn't commit. French television network BFM-TV aired a news story (in French) about the case.

Rob Owen, Skinner's attorney, issued this statement following the high court decision for an indefinite stay:

"We are relieved that the U.S. Supreme Court has intervened to prevent Mr. Skinner’s execution. As a result of this action, the Court will have more time to determine whether to hear his appeal. This action suggests that the Court believes there are important issues that require closer examination. We remain hopeful that the Court will agree to hear Mr. Skinner's case and ultimately allow him the chance to prove his innocence through DNA testing."

The reason why testing the DNA evidence is so critical to this and many death penalty cases is detailed in New York's Watertown Daily Times editorial.

Skinner was interviewed by Dallas/Fort Worth television station CBS11/TXA 21 regarding how he spent what he thought would be his last hours before being executed, and his reaction to the news about the indefinite stay.

More than 8,000 letters were sent to Governor Perry as of Wednesday, March 24, urging a stay. Among the individuals who have sent letters are a Texas State Senator and a Texas State Representative, according to the Texas Tribune.

Newspapers across the state and news stories around the country weighed in to support calls for the DNA to be tested – especially as there are significant doubts about his guilt. Read more in the Houston Chronicle editorial, “It’s best to test,” and in a Fort Worth Star-Telegram column by Bob Ray Sanders asking, “Isn’t a man’s life worth an extra 30 days?” The Dallas Morning News and the Austin American-Statesman joined the call to delay Skinner's execution. An Arizona testing laboratory even offered to test the DNA for free if Governor Perry gives Skinner a reprieve. Michael Landauer, editor of the Dallas Morning News Death Penalty Blog endorsed the testing laboratory's offer. Thank you to everyone who sent letters or faxes, made telephone calls, and otherwise contacted Governor Rick Perry and the General Counsel's office, including those who posted requests for the stay of execution on Governor Perry's Facebook wall.

Ever wonder about the process for deciding who will be executed in Texas and who will be granted clemency? Skinner’s attorney and other Skinner supporters wonder, too. The state’s Board of Pardons and Paroles responsible for making execution decisions is not required to meet in public or explain how or why its members vote for or against clemency. For details read “The Secret Pardon” by Brandi Grissom in the Texas Tribune.

While we wait for the U.S. Supreme Court decision, NCADP urges you to support our efforts, and to support the good work of the Innocence Project.

On March 18, 2009, New Mexico became the third state in three years to abolish capital punishment. With the signing the measure, which was introduced and championed by New Mexico State Representative Gail Chasey, New Mexico joined New York and New Jersey as states which freed themselves of this biased, unfair and barbaric practice.

New Mexico’s repeal law was the result of a very effective 12-year campaign effort. The success in New Mexico is part of the momentum that is beginning to sweep the death penalty away state by state. Eleven states considered repeal measures in 2009. This year, Kansas came close to passing a repeal bill in its Senate where the bipartisan vote was tied 20-20. A study commission in New Hampshire is holding hearings on capital punishment’s impact on the state, and whether to abolish it. Nebraska’s legislature is considering a study on the costs of capital punishment. Connecticut could abolish the death penalty in the near future, depending on who wins its gubernatorial elections. There is support for repeal in its House and Senate, which last year voted favorably on an abolition bill. The measure was defeated by the governor’s veto, but a new governor could bring about a very different outcome. Other states, such as Virginia and New Hampshire, have successfully beat back attempts to expand capital punishment.

To write a letter to the editor of your local paper on the anniversary, please click here.

Congratulations to McKinney & Associates for Twenty Years of "Public Relations with a Conscience"

NCADP congratulates the public relations firm McKinney & Associates (formerly McKinney & McDowell Associates) on its 20th anniversary. For two decades, the firm has helped give a voice to the concerns of those struggling for social justice, labor, government and international organizations. Understanding the power that media relations can offer to those often left out of political discourse, McKinney & Associates has helped level the playing field for the disenfranchised, the unpopular and those representing minority viewpoints and concerns.

Former journalists Gwen McKinney and Leila McDowell launched McKinney & McDowell Associates in October 1990. Their office was first located in the Gingras Ecumenical Center next to St. Augustine’s Catholic Church in Northwest Washington, D.C. The Center was also the first home of the newly relocated National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty, and so the first seeds of collaboration and mutual respect and admiration were formed.

Due in large part to the dedicated and tireless work of the Kansas Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty, the recent vote in the state’s Senate on a death penalty repeal measure was tied at 20-20. The bill picked up even more votes than in 2009 when it was introduced, the Kansas House of Representatives expressed interest in debating it, and Kansas’ Governor Mark Parkinson said he would consider signing it. Bill Lucero, a member of the Kansas Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty, Journey of Hope . . . From Violence to Healing, and a state coordinator for Murder Victims’ Families for Reconciliation, felt the close vote has positive implications for the progress of repeal in Kansas. See the Lawrence Journal-World & News account here.

Thanks for making the 2010 NCADP Annual Conference the best ever!

The NCADP 2010 Annual Conference in Louisville, Kentucky, was successful beyond measure. More than 300 people from 37 states attended. In keeping with our conference theme, “Building Bridges to Wider Audiences,” plenary and workshop speakers were drawn from a variety of organizations and disciplines. Among them:

DPIC Reports Show Cost, Innocence, Law Enforcement Issues with Death Penalty

A new report from the Death Penalty Information Center (DPIC) shows that death sentences in the United States hit an all-time low in 2009. The report notes that the economic recession and budget issues forced many states to make cuts to essential areas like education and law enforcement in order to maintain their capital punishment system. In addition, nine people were exonerated from death row in 2009 - the second highest number of exonerated since reinstatement of capital punishment over thirty years ago. And, law enforcement officials point to the death penalty as the least effective tool in their arsenal, preferring dozens of other strategies over the threat of the death penalty.

Take ACTION and help us get the word out about the report and the failure of the death penalty system by writing a letter to the editor of your local paper.

DPIC earlier in 2009 released a study detailing the costs of the death penalty for states across the country, and NCADP responded with this statement.

Remembering Rachel - Supporting Survivors of Violence

Last summer, we lost one of our greatest abolition activists, Rachel King, after a long and valiant struggle with cancer.

Rachel was first a daughter, friend, wife and step-mother, but her personal and professional lives merged in her advocacy and efforts to make our world a better place. She did so in staff and volunteer capacities with various organizations, including Alaskans Against the Death Penalty, the ACLU Capital Punishment Project and the National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty, where she served on the board of directors and as our chairperson. Rachel is the author of three books, two of which explore capital punishment from the perspective of the families who suffer the most as a result of the death penalty system.

We ask you to read more about Rachel’s history of successful advocacy here and here.

To celebrate Rachel's life and continue her legacy, NCADP has created Rachel's Fund to support the work of our state affiliates - both in the cause of abolition, and to support victims of violence. Rachel's Fund is a partnership supported by Rachel's husband Richard, her stepdaughter Lauren and her mother Jill, as well as the United Methodist Church, the National Association of Social Workers, Journey of Hope, Murder Victims' Families for Reconciliation and California Crime Victims for Alternatives to the Death Penalty.

NCADP Job Position Available in Virginia

NCADP is hiring a State Campaign Coordinator in Virginia. For more information regarding the job's responsibilities, the qualifications required for the positions, and how to apply, please click here.

Download the most recent issue of NCADP Lifelines, our quarterly newsletter!

The United States is moving away from the death penalty because of growing concerns about innocence, unfairness, discriminatory application, lack of efficacy and other reasons, including the ways the death penalty causes more pain for the survivors of homicide victims. These concerns have led to an eight year decline in death sentences nationwide. In 2007, the number of defendants who received a death sentence was at its lowest point since the death penalty was upheld in 1976.

Today your work to oppose – and abolish – capital punishment is more important than ever before. To join NCADP’s abolition listserv, click here. To help NCADP pay for the work that needs to be done, please donate by clicking here.

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NCADP: Devoted to Abolishing Capital Punishment