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NC Coalition for Alternatives to the Death Penalty

Committed to ending the death penalty and creating a new vision of justice

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Gallup Poll: The death penalty question they never ask

October 30, 2017

Last week’s Gallup poll showed us that Americans’ support for the death penalty continues to erode. Fifty-five percent said they are in favor of executing people, the lowest number in 45 years. That’s down from a high of 80 percent in the mid-1990s.

But a more accurate picture would have emerged if the poll had asked the question that truly gauges people’s views on the death penalty: Would you support replacing the death penalty with life in prison, if you were assured that those convicted would never be released? When that question is asked, a clear majority of Americans, in poll after poll, say they are ready to give up the execution chamber.

The question our society should be asking is not: Do you believe that people who commit murders should be punished? The answer to that is obvious. The question that gets to the heart of the matter is: What’s the fairest, most efficient, and most effective way to punish people who commit the worst crimes? When you ask it that way, the death penalty is clearly not the answer.

The death penalty costs far more than life without parole, takes decades to carry out, and carries with it the risk of executing an innocent person. And it does nothing more to protect us from crime than the harsh and irrevocable sentence of life in prison with no possibility of parole.

Recently, police chiefs and prison officials, even some N.C. prosecutors have acknowledged the waste and futility of continuing to pursue the death penalty. For more than a decade, North Carolina has remained among the vast majority of states who no longer execute people. Meanwhile, our state’s murder rate has gone down.

It’s time to stop clinging to a waning and outdated punishment.

Filed Under: Blog, National News, Public Opinion, Statistics

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Last week, we gathered with dear friends to fuel t Last week, we gathered with dear friends to fuel the journey toward justice. We were reminded of the power of community.

A huge thank you to Gerda Stein and Lee Norris for hosting us and to @brittonbuchanan for the beautiful music – thank you for making this evening possible!

Thank you to everyone who joined us and to all who walk this path beside us. 💛

#FuelTheJourney #nccadp #EndTheDeathPenalty #NoMoreDeathRow  #AbolishTheDeathPenalty
On this day in 1976, the Supreme Court gave the de On this day in 1976, the Supreme Court gave the death penalty a green light, and the modern machinery of state-sanctioned execution was born.

In Gregg v. Georgia, the Court reversed its earlier decision in Furman v. Georgia and ruled that capital punishment could be constitutional if applied "fairly."

Nearly 50 years later, we know the truth. It's still racist, arbitrary, and unjust.

Swipe through to learn how Gregg v. Georgia reshaped the death penalty and how that legacy still haunts our legal system today.

#DeathPenalty #GreggvGeorgia #CriminalJusticeReform #EndTheDeathPenalty #AbolishTheDeathPenalty #FurmanvGeorgia #SupremeCourt #JusticeNotDeath
The death penalty often impacts people who face si The death penalty often impacts people who face significant barriers to being fully seen and heard in the legal system, including people with intellectual disabilities and serious mental health conditions. 

Timothy Richardson is one such person. He lives with an intellectual disability and has spent more than 25 years on North Carolina's death row. 

As we honor Disability Pride Month, we're taking a look at a system that often fails to see disabled people fully. Disability justice is an essential part of the movement to end the death penalty.

Visit the link in our bio to read more about Timothy's story and learn how people with intellectual disabilities and mental illness are unfairly sentenced. 

#DisabilityPrideMonth #EndTheDeathPenalty #NoMoreDeathRow
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