By Paul O’Shea: Abolishing the death penalty is usually thought of as a Democratic and liberal policy, but a Republican and a libertarian serve proudly alongside their progressive colleagues on the board of Virginians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty. The death penalty is nonpartisan. It distributes its malevolent effects—racism, random selection, executing the innocent or the severe mentally ill–across…
By Paul O’Shea: A leading figure in the Virginia anti-death penalty movement called for the abolition of “this barbaric remnant of previous centuries” in a talk recently at Little River United Church of Christ in Annandale. Dale Brumfield, field director of Virginians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty, told parishioners on Feb. 23 that the death penalty fails to serve…
By Paul O’Shea: The leader of New Hampshire’s successful drive to abolish the death penalty – making it the 21st state to do so — will deliver the keynote at the annual luncheon of Virginians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty (VADP) in Reston on Oct. 5. Renny Cushing is a state legislator in New Hampshire whose work as a…
By Lainie Singerman: A convicted murderer turned legal scholar was honored in Fairfax on March 24 for his contributions to criminal justice reform, including helping to exonerate a fellow death row inmate. The Citizen Advocate of the Year award, from Virginians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty (VADP), went to Joe Giarratano, who served 37 years in prison, during which…
By Paul O’Shea: Following recent passage in the state Senate of a bill to ban the death penalty for criminal defendants with severe mental illness, northern Virginia welcomes a leading proponent of a national movement against the death penalty on March 24th. Mike Farrell, founder and president of Death Penalty Focus, will keynote the annual awards luncheon of Virginians for…
By Paul O’Shea: The last person executed in Virginia was mentally ill. Yet Virginia, which has executed more people than any state except Texas, has no law protecting the mentally disabled from capital punishment. It’s time to change that. When Virginia completed the task of executing William Morva at 9:15 p.m. on July 6, 2017, it had killed a disturbed…