Oregonians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty

Bill would effectively abolish the death penalty in Oregon

Mar 8, 2019 Under House Bill 3268, aggravated murder would be limited to only crimes when two or more people are killed
in a terror attack. This shows the death chamber at the Oregon State Penitentiary in Salem. Photo by Beth

A bill filed Monday would allow the death penalty only in cases involving terrorism-related killings, effectively abolishing capital punishment in Oregon.

Opinion: Gov. Brown, it’s time to commute Oregon’s death row

On the evening of Nov. 1, as day turned into night outside the Riverbend National Security Institution in Nashville, Tennessee, Edmund Zagorski spoke his last words. “Let’s rock,” he said, before prison staff covered his head with a black shroud and sent thousands of volts of electricity through his body. At 7:26 p.m. he was pronounced dead.Zagorski had specifically requested to die by electrocution rather than lethal injection, which has been the standard method for many years. He wanted to avoid the seemingly torturous deaths endured when dying by lethal injection.

In the Executioner’s Shadow

On Jan. 15, 2019, the Salem Progressive Film Series opens with the film at Salem’s Grand Theater at 7 PM with the film “In the Executioner’s Shadow”. This film casts a penetrating look at the consequences of the death penalty. As the battle to overturn capital punishment comes to a head in the U.S., this provocative film challenges viewers to question their deepest beliefs about justice.

This film will also be shown at the following locations in Oregon.

For more information, please call (503) 990-7060 or visit www.oadp.org

Jan 15, 2019 Salem Progressive Film Series First feature of the year Salem’s Grand Theater 7PM

On Jan. 15, 2019, the Salem Progressive Film Series will open with the film "In the Executioner’s Shadow" at Salem’s Grand Theater at 7PM. This film casts a penetrating look at the consequences of the death penalty through three powerful stories – the rare perspective of a former state executioner who comes within days of executing an innocent person; a Boston Marathon bombing victim who struggles to decide what justice really means; and the parents of a murder victim who choose to fight for the life of their daughter’s killer.

UN Vote on the Death penalty: Global abolition closer than ever as record number of countries vote to end executions

17 December 2018 After a record number of UN member states today supported at the final vote a key UN General Assembly resolution calling for a moratorium on executions with a view to abolishing the death penalty, Amnesty International’s Death Penalty Expert Chiara Sangiorgio said: “The fact that more countries than ever before have voted to end executions shows that global abolition of the death penalty is becoming an inevitable reality. A death penalty-free world is closer than ever.

2018 Marked the Fourth Consecutive Year with Fewer than 30 Executions and Less than 50 Death Sentences

(Washington, D.C.) With 25 executions and 42 death sentences expected this year, the use of the death penalty remained near historic lows in 2018, according to a report released today by the Death Penalty Information Center (DPIC). 2018 marked the fourth consecutive year with fewer than 30 executions and 50 death sentences, reflecting a long-term decline of capital punishment across the United States.

Opinion: America Is In The Middle Of A Death Penalty Crisis

Oregon uses lethal injection as its method of execution. Although Oregon has not executed anyone recently, the death penalty is still in its constitution and the need to obtain lethal drugs may be an issue. In the article "America Is In The Middle Of A Death Penalty Crisis" by Hannah Riley, communications manager at the Southern Center for Human Rights in Atlanta addresses this issue in her recent article in the Huffington Post.

Catechism revision adds impetus in death penalty abolition fight

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Changes in law and public opinion have had their role to play in the quest to end capital punishment in the United States, but Catholic teaching also has played a part, according to Robert Dunham, executive director of the Death Penalty Information Center.

Oregon Lawmakers Mull Big Changes To Death Penalty, No Election Required

Dec. 13, 2018 Oregon lawmakers and death penalty opponents are considering a roundabout approach at gutting the state’s capital punishment law — without sending it to voters.

Since 1984, the death penalty has been enshrined in the Oregon Constitution, meaning it can only be removed by a vote of the people. But under proposals being discussed by Rep. Mitch Greenlick, D-Portland, Sen. Floyd Prozanski, D-Eugene, and others, the policy could be largely dismantled next year via a vote of the Legislature.