Death Penalty
Campaigns

Our criminal justice system should always seek to uphold Christian values of truth, redemption, and fairness. Florida’s use of the death penalty undermines these values and contributes to a culture of violence and retribution without restoration.

The Death Penalty is Unnecessary, Unjust, and Deeply Flawed.

“The question we need to ask about the death penalty in America is not whether someone deserves to die for a crime. The question is whether we deserve to kill.”

Bryan Stevenson, Equal Justice Initiative

What We Do.

When the death penalty in Florida is carried out, it is done in each of our names. Thus, as Christians who believe that Jesus commands us to love one another (John 13:34-35), we approach this work with a special responsibility to follow the call in Micah 6:8 to “do justice.” Our work for justice includes raising awareness of the problems with the death penalty, educating the public and media on the facts surrounding its use, and mobilizing our community to bring about policy change and to oppose executions.

As a faith community, we know that every person is made in the image of God and thus has inherent dignity. The death penalty not only violates that sacred principle but also perpetuates a society that prioritizes vengeance over healing and retribution over restoration and reconciliation. It is time to change that and awareness is the first step.
We believe the more people know about the death penalty, the less likely they are to support it. All too often discussions about the death penalty fail to account for its actual implementation and impact. This website has fact sheets, stories, articles, and other tools designed to debunk myths and expose the truth about a punishment that delivers nothing but harm.
We are working with partners such as Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty, the 8th Amendment Project, and Equal Justice USA to end the death penalty. Our current focus is in Florida, where we are mobilizing support for protecting vulnerable people facing execution, including people with serious mental illness who are uniquely at risk. Our work includes policy analysis, so that we can be fully prepared and informed in our work, and online and in-person actions, including sign-on letters and an annual Advocacy Day.
We also oppose executions by prayerfully writing and calling the Governor and Clemency Board when an execution is scheduled, asking them not to lose sight of the humanity and compassion that our faith teaches us to honor.

Our Work

Oppose Executions

Since January, Florida has executed three men, each of whom endured a childhood filled with unimaginable sexual and physical abuse and neglect. Two of the men suffered from serious mental illness; a third had brain damage. Their lives are a testament to the power of redemption, for though each man had been caught in a traumatic cycle of violence and neglect that started from birth, they were able to find peace and purpose on death row.

Our work to oppose the executions of these beloved children of God included lifting up each man's full life story as we organized prayer vigils, media commentary, and sign-on letters to Governor DeSantis asking him to grant clemency.

Mobilize for Policy Change

Help Protect People With Serious Mental Illness From the Death Penalty

The death penalty is used against persons with severe mental illness, intellectual disabilities, long histories of trauma and abuse, or a combination of these impairments. Join us in calling on the Governor and Legislature to end this shameful practice and to instead ensure all people with mental illness and histories of abuse have access to mental health care.

What do our Christian values tell us about the death penalty?

The death penalty violates the divine law that commands us not to kill. In the Ten Commandments expressed in Exodus 20, our God clearly commands: “You shall not kill.”

“Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live!” (Deuteronomy 30:19)

The death penalty disregards the inherent dignity of the human person.

“I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” (John 10:10:)
“Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? And not one of them is forgotten before God. Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows.” (Luke 12:6-7)

The death penalty undermines our Christian values of mercy and redemption.

“Mercy triumphs over judgment” (James 2:13)
“Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.” (Matt. 5:7.)
“In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace.” (Ephesians 1:7)

Take Action Now:

Stop the execution of Duane Owen on June 15

Governor DeSantis issued a death warrant for Duane Owen, setting his execution date for June 15 at 6pm. Please take a minute to read his tragic life story, which includes mental illness and a horrific childhood filled with abuse, and then take action to stop the execution.

Since taking office, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has executed five men - all of whom had some combination of serious mental illness and/or brain damage and all of whom suffered horrific abuse and neglect in childhood. These cases illustrate how the death penalty is used not for the “worst of the worst” but against the most vulnerable and the least protected in our society.

Facts About the Death Penalty

Innocence & Error

“Our death penalty system treats you better if you’re rich and guilty than if you’re poor and innocent.” - Bryan Stevenson

Racial Bias

People of color are more likely to be prosecuted for capital murder, sentenced to death, and executed, especially if the victim in the case is white.

Public Safety

Every dollar that is spent on the broken death penalty system is a dollar that can’t be spent on things like mental health programs, education, and public safety measures that actually work to keep our communities safe.

There is no reliable evidence that the death penalty deters murder.
The National Research Council of the National Academies concluded that studies claiming the death penalty has a deterrent effect are fundamentally flawed.
Murder rates are consistently higher in states that have the death penalty.

Protecting the Most Vulnerable

Despite strong public support for protecting vulnerable people from the death penalty, the vast majority of those executed in the U.S. last year were individuals with significant vulnerabilities.

At least 13 of the people executed in the U.S. in 2022 had one or more of the following impairments: serious mental illness (8); brain injury, developmental brain damage, or an IQ in the intellectually disabled range (5); chronic serious childhood trauma, neglect, and/or abuse (12).
Since January, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has executed three men, each of whom endured a childhood filled with unimaginable sexual and physical abuse and neglect. Two of the men suffered from serious mental illness; a third had brain damage. In May, DeSantis announced a 4th execution, scheduled for June 15. That man, Duane Owen, also suffers from severe mental illness and brain damage, and his childhood was filled with terrible neglect and abuse.
Democrats, Republicans, and Independents by margins of more than 30 percentage points oppose the use of the death penalty against people with severe mental illness, brain damage, or intellectual impairments, and against veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder.