“The death penalty experiment has failed. I no longer shall tinker with the machinery of death.”
— Supreme Court Justice Harry Blackmun, 1994

John,

In 2000, the then-Governor of Illinois shocked the nation and declared a statewide moratorium on capital punishment. Before leaving office, Governor Ryan commuted 167 death sentences to life sentences, effectively renewing the national conversation about use of the death penalty.

By 2011, the state of Illinois had officially abolished the death penalty. It is long past time for the federal government to do the same — and my bill in the Senate is working to make it happen.

Along with Rep. Ayanna Pressley, I introduced legislation to end the death penalty at the federal level once and for all. Will you add your name right now as a citizen-cosponsor?
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Extensive research and investigations into the application of the death penalty have revealed rampant injustices, including disproportionate use of capital punishment on people of color.

Dozens of wrongfully convicted prisoners have been exonerated. We’ve heard heartbreaking stories of people who received a death sentence, only to be proven innocent after their death.

Countless leaders who participated in the failed death penalty experiment over the years, like former Supreme Court Justices Harry Blackmun and John Paul Stevens, all concluded by the end of their careers that we should put a stop to this deeply-flawed practice.

We cannot in good conscience continue to send people to death row when we have demonstrated our inability to apply capital punishment in a fair way. End the injustice. End the death penalty. Sign my petition now if you’re with me on this critical issue.
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My best,

Dick Durbin




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