Target: Gavin Newsom, Governor of California
Goal: Support commutation of hundreds of death sentences to life sentences.
The death penalty has often faced scrutiny for its reported inequities, its potential status as cruel and unusual punishment, its troubling number of botched executions, its possibility of taking the lives of the innocent, and for overall questions about the morality and ethics of governments putting individuals to death. This ForceChange petition focused on some of these controversial issues. California – home to a disproportionate number of minority inmates on death row – has responded to these concerns with a major maneuver.
Governor Gavin Newsom announced that sentences for all 548 of the state’s death row inmates would be commuted to life sentences without parole. During the announcement, the governor stated his belief that “state-sanctioned killing is incompatible with California’s values” and “undermines the foundations of our legal system.” While the commutations drew their share of detractors, many advocates, including the relatives of 50 impacted victims, supported the move.
Sign the petition below to back this decisive stand against a punishment that is becoming increasingly obsolete amongst modern societies.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Governor Newsom,
The recent botched execution of a Tennessee inmate – in combination with the reported 203 death row inmates who have been exonerated over the decades – starkly highlights the longstanding objections to capital punishment. If hundreds of people have been deemed innocent before they were executed, it’s chilling to consider the number of executed who were likewise innocent. Add in the startling reality that this sentence disproportionately targets minorities.
The commutations of California’s death row inmates may not have been the most popular decision, but it may have been the most just decision. Thank you for taking this stand.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo Credit: Xiaoyi
