NOVEMBER UPDATE
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
2020 has been a tough year, but we are still finding reasons to give thanks here. The country's executions and new death sentences have been suppressed by the pandemic, our staff is whole and healthy, and we are poised to continue our march to repeal the death penalty in states across the country in 2021. We are keeping you, our supporters, close in our hearts during this season and hoping you are covered and held close as we close out this year.
Speaking of reasons to give thanks….
ELECTION COULD END FEDERAL EXECUTIONS...
With President-elect Joe Biden now positioned to take power in January, it is likely the country could soon see a cease to the bizarre and unprecedented string of executions that began under President Trump this year.
Unfortunately, there are still five executions scheduled for 2020 and early 2021, before the new administration steps in.
As we usually find with these cases, the backgrounds of those scheduled to die are marked by tremendous trauma and abuse. So often their cases are overrun with bias and poor representation. Lisa Montgomery's story is particularly difficult to read, and it paints the picture we see over and over in this system – victims of extreme violence and abuse who never receive any intervention or healing and ultimately cause violence themselves, perpetuating the cycle.
Trump has already carried out more executions this year than the previous 56 years combined – and he's done it as the country faces another death toll, that from the coronavirus. He is also the first president, since Grover Cleveland in 1889, to oversee an execution after he was voted out of office.
Most states have stopped executions as they struggle to fund basic services. Only five continue to waste tax dollars and risk innocent lives on this antiquated policy, and you may very well recognize them as the usual suspects: Alabama, Georgia, Texas, Missouri, and Tennessee.
For the first time in history, the U.S. has an incoming president who has disavowed the death penalty. There's reason to hope that the next four years will present many opportunities for us to eradicate this injustice from the pages of our history.
While both Biden and his Vice President-elect Kamala Harris have checkered histories when it comes to matters of justice, we believe in redemption, both for those who've spent time behind bars and also for those who've carried out injustice under oath. We're rooting for them to achieve their bold criminal justice reform platform.
WE'RE HIRING
Our beloved founder and current EJUSA Evangelical Network manager, Heather Beaudoin, is stepping down from her current position to prepare for her fourth child. Thankfully, she'll still be with us in a more limited capacity, but we are preparing to hire in her place.
The position is posted here. Please help us spread the word!
In Justice
Hannah
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Conservatives Concerned About the Death Penalty
A project of Equal Justice USA
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