Congress: Abolish the Federal & Military Death Penalty
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Donald Trump has a plan to drastically increase executions in the United States if he is returned to the White House. President Biden ran for office with a commitment to end the federal death penalty, but he cannot sign a bill until Congress puts it on his desk.
The death penalty is not a partisan issue, and Death Penalty Action is providing this letter writing tool for anyone wishing to ask their Members of Congress to address pervasive unfairness and systemic racism in the criminal legal system by ending the federal and military death penalty; Sign on in support of H.R. 4633/S.B. 2299, Rep. Pressley's & Senator Durbin's Federal Death Penalty Prohibition Act. (Rep. Espaillat has a similar bill that has also been introduced.)
Many problems exist with federal, military and state death penalty laws. These issues are explored in great detail, here. The death penalty is not necessary to be safe from people who have killed others, or to hold them accountable. In an era where support for capital punishment is waning and states are abolishing the punishment, the federal government began an execution spree in July, 2020 with the first federal executions since 2003. A record-setting 13 prisoners were executed between July 15, 2020 and January 16, 2021.
Tell congress the death penalty is not an effective tool to stop crime. Government makes mistakes, the criminal justice system is fraught with disparity and unfairness, prison workers should not be forced to take on the burden of killing defenseless prisoners once let alone at the rapid pace of the current federal execution schedule, and it is a cruel hoax to suggest that executions provide healing to murder victim family members.
