The movement to end the death penalty

Published October 05, 2008 @ 06:34PM PT

As opposition to capital punishment has increased around the world in recent years, an active and organized movement has developed to oppose the practice, citing worries about its effectiveness, fairness, and morality. Those seeking to end the death penalty argue that it represents the kind "cruel and unusual punishment" prohibited by the U.S. Constitution. They also argue that it doesn't deter crime, is more expensive than incarcerating a prisoner for life, is disproportionately applied to poor defendants, and presents the risk of executing an innocent person.

In the last decade, the movement has employed a range of strategies to end - and, as much as possible, - to limit - executions. Human rights activists around the world call on governments to outlaw the practice on moral grounds. In the United States, reformers have successfully argued before the Supreme Court in recent years that certain vulnerable groups should not be subjected to the death penalty. For example, in 2002, the court ruled that executing the mentally retarded violated the "cruel and unusual punishment" clause in the eight amendment of the U.S. Constitution. In 2005, the court ruled that the death penalty is " a disproportionate punishment for juveniles." In 2008, another Supreme Court decision overturned laws in six states allowing death sentences for defendants convicted of child rape. Also in 2008, the court rejected a challenge to the constitutionality of the three-drug cocktail used in most lethal injections. The battle over lethal injections is sure to continue.

Opposition to the death penalty spans borders, ideologies, and religions. At the forefront of the movement internationally is Amnesty International, which works to abolish the death penalty around the world. In the United States, the National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty works with dozens of other groups, including local groups in almost all 36 death penalty states, to get rid of the practice. The Death Penalty Information Center monitors the issue around the world and conducts critical research on various aspects of the death penalty. The American Civil Liberties Union, the American Friends' Service Committee and the Catholic Church, among many other groups, also oppose the practice of capital punishment. Other criminal justice reform organizations - such as the Innocence Project - work to free innocent prisoners from death row and prison and support a moratorium on the death penalty due to the risk of executing an innocent person. Seventeen people have been proven innocent by DNA testing and exonerated after serving time on death row to date. (Full disclosure, I work as the Innocence Project's Online Communications Manager)

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Comments (15)

The Death Penalty SHOULD NEVER be abolished. People who've committed Capital Murders willfully and maliciously should receive the ultimate punishment. A World without people like Ted Bundy is ideal in my book.

Posted by Gary Nardo on 11/10/2008 @ 10:26PM PT
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Many people have been convicted of crimes they did not commit. If you kill them it is impossible to wake them from the dead.
I too believe that people who commit terrible crimes should not be allowed to live among us. They should be put away forever. It is barbaric for the government to kill someone with the motivation that it is wrong to kill somenone.
Everyone outthere who believes in capital punishment are you going to do the dirty work or do you expect others to carry out this barbaric act?

Posted by trudi neergaard on 11/11/2008 @ 03:17AM PT
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In 2008 I would think that the death penalty is somewhat outdated. Not to mention the innocents put to death, but how can we expect mercy, forgiveness, love from others for our mistakes or mental illnesses, and in the same breath want an eye for an eye tooth for a tooth justice? Kick out all the pot smokers and noviolent offenders we are paying for anyways with taxes and keep capital crime criminals locked up for life. Maybe they will change, find God in prison and help lesser offenders change....

Posted by kenny c. on 11/27/2008 @ 09:14AM PT
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after all, we do believe in change right? If anyone takes my life I wish them life in prison or until they learn not to kill. One more thing its easy to pull the switch on a stranger but try it on a loved one.Think about it.

Posted by kenny c. on 11/27/2008 @ 09:24AM PT
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I am so sick of hearing about capital punishment being barbarick or cruel.If it is proven that you've killed someone you should die too in the same manner.Everyone who is talking about how this is cruel would change their min if their dearest loved one was taken away from them. I dont want my tax dollars spent giving murderers three hots and a cot. I think we should use it in other cases like child molestation or rape. If u take away capital punishment just watch and see the crime rate sky rocket.I tell you what if someone hurts my daughter or my wife the government is the least of there worries and the hell i send them to will seem like heaven compared to what ive dont to them.Yes innocent people may die but i belive in sacrificing a few to save a million. EYE FOR AN EYE

Posted by Daniel Fuller on 12/12/2008 @ 12:13PM PT
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AN EYE FOR AN EYE MAKES THE WHOLE WORLD BLIND. No man should have the right to take away life from another.

Posted by Justin Britt on 04/20/2009 @ 05:55AM PT
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Personally I think we should go back to the old west and put up the gallows behind the courthouse. If you murder someone in cold blood, you deserve to die. If you were wrongly convicted then theres DNA. Heres an idea...legalize hemp cultivation = rope = more jobs = "greener jobs" = help the environment. More rope, more jobs = more of Our hard earned tax money going to more beneficial causes like universal healthcare. As Mr. Daniel Fuller posted "EYE FOR AN EYE"

Posted by J Arm on 12/12/2008 @ 01:32PM PT
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an eye for an eye leaves the world blind. and how many of you really think the realease of death really is the ultimate punishment?

Posted by Allison Fonda on 12/16/2008 @ 11:50AM PT
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Oh, Mz. Fonda! While looking through the hundreds of blogs posted on change.org, I've come to the conclusion; the world is already blind." Animals Rights," blog says, riding horses exploits them for human pleasure. "Gay Rights," blog is fighting over the word, " marriage." "Humans Rights," blog wants everyone in America to fight the Genocide, all the while opposing war. So, for you; with all the answers. What should we do about the death penalty? Lets turn all these killers, child molesters, and rapist, loose on America. In fact, in your town. You seem to have the, "one shoe fits all," answers. Maybe, you can tell them, "if, they would love one another, and be at peace with the earth;" They'll suddenly realize how right you are. Because they are all so open to suggestion, right? It's just laws they seem to have trouble with. So, lets give them a choice. Hmmm? "Not hurt innocent people?" Or "Death Penalty?" Oh, stupid me! They already made that dicision. Usually, I would have been the, "fence rider," and tried to find a resonable compromise for both sides. Although, in this case....WHAT THE HECK IS WRONG WITH YOUR BRAIN?

Posted by L S on 12/20/2008 @ 09:08PM PT
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The day is coming someone will be executed that will prove to be innocent beyond any doubt. On that day if you support the death penalty you too will become a murderer. Lock them up for the rest of there natural lives, instead we act like a third world country and act like a bunch of savages. Sorry to say but executing one innocent person is NOT OK.

Posted by Joseph Roberts on 01/12/2009 @ 01:13AM PT
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I just want to say i just love libbys blog.She's right we can not give these animals any special treatment like being alive.Your right mr. joseph Roberts we just may execute an innocent person one day but mistakes happen but the death penalty should only be used if the evidence shows beyond a reasonable dout that the suspect is guilty. Ive been watching shows on court tv where these criminals are only getting 20 years because that is considered life and if on good behavior they get out early. They also get college degrees, free health care, a place to sleep free of charge, three hot meals, and a nice little recreation where they can shoot ball and work out. But if you notice i used the word free alot. but its not free. It's at tax payers expence. The money that we could use to help our economy is going to the prisons to help them have a good life. Hey i have an idea why dont we all just kill someone so we can have three hots and a cot. If this gets abolished then killers will have no fear in killing someone ive seen the eyes of the victims family members when their in court and i just grips my heart. These people will never see their family member again. I say that killers should be killed in the same manner that they've killed. But that will never happen because of all you liberals trying make everything fair for everyone even if it is undiserved. I hate the aclu

Posted by Daniel Fuller on 01/12/2009 @ 09:33AM PT
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Three cheers to New Mexico and Governor Richardson for taking a small step to bring us to the civilized world in abolishing the death penalty.

Change is sometimes incremental, but as a country we are slowly, slowly marching in the right direction on this issue. You cannot value life by extinguishing it.

17 death sentences overturned by DNA testing. 17 lives.

Posted by connie deady on 03/24/2009 @ 07:28AM PT
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I was a supporter of the death penalty until teh statics demostraded it was unjust. If a black/hispanic man kills a white man, his is more likely to receive the death penalty than if it had been the other way around. 95% of all inmates in death row were not able to pay for their own lawyers. Their lawyers had to be provided by the government. A lawyer like such has more than 100 cases daily! We can't assure that those that are on death row are not guilty and as the numbers has shown we have found innocent people guilty.

Posted by Jessica Ramirez on 06/15/2009 @ 03:17PM PT
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that is the most backwards response i ever heard where do you get your sources. Yes back in the day it used to be like that but now days poor whites get treated worse than anyone. if we do anything to someone of color it is concidered a hate crime even if it had nothing to do with race. now what your seein is the rich white people getting away with stuff. but no that is absolutely wrong we get the hammer thrown down on us. everything with us is racism. and i see you happen to be hispanic sayin stuff like that miss remirez. you cant use the race card anymore. dont speak on things you know nothing about.

Posted by Daniel Fuller on 06/15/2009 @ 05:49PM PT
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I know two wrongs downt make a right but if you kill someone i dont feel sorry for you. you should die in the exact same way. its people like yall thats makin this country weak and vulnerable. what happened to our back bone that kept this country strong for so many years. i realy fear for my daughters future with liberals like yall runnin the country. but if yall dont want these criminals to die then they should kcome live with you but not by my tax dollars.........pussies

Posted by Daniel Fuller on 06/15/2009 @ 05:54PM PT
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Comments on Change.org are meant for further exploration and evaluation of the ideas covered in the posts. To that end, we welcome constructive comments. However, we reserve the right to delete comments that are offensive, abusive, or off-topic; that contain ad hominem attacks; or that are designed to subvert or hijack comment threads rather than contribute to them. Repeat offenders may be permanently removed from the site at our discretion.

Author

Matt has worked and volunteered in various capacities in criminal justice reform for several years. When he's not blogging, he works as the Online Communications Manager at the Innocence Project. Views expressed here are Matt's, and don't represent the positions of the Innocence Project.