NCADP: Devoted to Abolishing Capital Punishment

Shouting from the Rooftops!

In 2006, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia wrote 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 September 7 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 a recent op-ed from Diann Rust-Tierney about Cameron Todd Willingham here.

DPIC Releases New Study on Economic Benefits of Abolition

The Death Penalty Information Center (DPIC), has a released a new study detailing the economic costs of the death penalty for states across the country.  To view the full report, please click here.

To read a statement from Diann Rust-Tierney on the study, please click here.

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U.S. Supreme Court Orders Federal Judge in Georgia to Consider Troy Davis' Innocence Claim

Over the dissent of two justices, the U.S. Supreme Court recently ordered a federal district judge in Georgia to consider and rule on Troy Davis' claim of innocence in the murder of Savannah policeman Mark Allen MacPhail. 

In 1991, Troy was convicted in the murder of off-duty police officer Mark MacPhail largely on the basis of eyewitness testimony — no physical evidence links him to the crime. Since his trial, seven of nine eyewitnesses have recanted their original statements, yet federal law prevents these new eyewitness statements from being heard.

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.

New Mexico Becomes Second State in Two Years to Repeal the Death Penalty!

The National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty welcomes the news that New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson has signed legislation making New Mexico the second state in two years and the first Western state to repeal the death penalty since executions resumed in the U.S. in 1977.  New Jersey abolished its death penalty in December 2007.  Three years ago, New York legislators declined to revive that state’s death penalty statute concluding that with more than a decade of new information about how it worked in practice, its high costs, and the inherent risk of executing innocent people, maintaining it could not be justified.

We applaud the Governor, policymakers and the people of New Mexico for their leadership.

Please click here for the complete statement from Diann Rust-Tierney, Executive Director of the NCADP. 

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.