National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty
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The National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty (NCADP) is a large organization dedicated to the abolition of the
death penalty in the United States In the United States, capital punishment is a legal penalty throughout the country at the federal level, in 27 states, and in American Samoa. It is also a legal penalty for some military offenses. Capital punishment has been abolished in 23 ...
. Founded in 1976 (the same year the death penalty was reinstated by the
Supreme Court of the United States The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point o ...
) by Henry Schwarzschild, the NCADP is the only fully staffed nationwide organization in the United States dedicated to the total abolition of the death penalty. It also provides extensive information regarding imminent and past
executions Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, is the state-sanctioned practice of deliberately killing a person as a punishment for an actual or supposed crime, usually following an authorized, rule-governed process to conclude that t ...
, death penalty
defendants In court proceedings, a defendant is a person or object who is the party either accused of committing a crime in criminal prosecution or against whom some type of civil relief is being sought in a civil case. Terminology varies from one jurisdic ...
, numbers of people executed in the U.S., as well as a detailed breakdown of the current death row population, and a list of which
U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...
and federal jurisdictions use the death penalty.


Mission

NCADP works to abolish the
death penalty Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, is the state-sanctioned practice of deliberately killing a person as a punishment for an actual or supposed crime, usually following an authorized, rule-governed process to conclude that t ...
in the United States and supports efforts to abolish the death penalty worldwide.


Objectives

Providing education and outreach to state and local affiliates is a key priority for the national office. NCADP works with state and local affiliates on campaign strategies, national and state specific reports on critical issues for policy makers, media support, networking and
coalition A coalition is a group formed when two or more people or groups temporarily work together to achieve a common goal. The term is most frequently used to denote a formation of power in political or economical spaces. Formation According to ''A Gui ...
building, technical assistance and training for volunteers. Additionally, NCADP holds annual conferences and training for staff and volunteers.


Principles

NCADP is dedicated to the abolition of the death penalty. Below are some of the reasons the organization believes in this doctrine: * Executions are carried out at a high cost to tax payers * Capital punishment does not deter crime * States cannot prevent execution of innocent people *
Race Race, RACE or "The Race" may refer to: * Race (biology), an informal taxonomic classification within a species, generally within a sub-species * Race (human categorization), classification of humans into groups based on physical traits, and/or s ...
plays a role in who lives and dies * Capital punishment is applied arbitrarily * The United States keeps company with the top
human rights Human rights are Morality, moral principles or Social norm, normsJames Nickel, with assistance from Thomas Pogge, M.B.E. Smith, and Leif Wenar, 13 December 2013, Stanford Encyclopedia of PhilosophyHuman Rights Retrieved 14 August 2014 for ce ...
abusers as a country that employs executions * Poor legal representation is a persistent problem * Life without parole is an appropriate alternative to capital punishment * Capital punishment goes against almost every major
religion Religion is usually defined as a social- cultural system of designated behaviors and practices, morals, beliefs, worldviews, texts, sanctified places, prophecies, ethics, or organizations, that generally relates humanity to supernatural, ...
* Millions of dollars could be diverted to helping the families of murder victims


Tactics

The NCADP uses a number of non-violent methods to draw attention to, and advance, their campaign at local, state and national levels: * Promotion of anti-death penalty
legislation Legislation is the process or result of enrolled bill, enrolling, enactment of a bill, enacting, or promulgation, promulgating laws by a legislature, parliament, or analogous Government, governing body. Before an item of legislation becomes law i ...
and pressuring state legislators for abolition or moratorium bills through letter writing and campaigning. * Using local and state
media Media may refer to: Communication * Media (communication), tools used to deliver information or data ** Advertising media, various media, content, buying and placement for advertising ** Broadcast media, communications delivered over mass el ...
to disseminate information about the death penalty. * Using their numerous links with like-minded organizations to speak and act against the death penalty. * Networking with these organizations on campaigns. * Hosting annual conferences to promote networking among members and like-minded organizations. * Incorporating social networking sites to foster networking and facilitate coordination of activity in local communities. * Focusing on the
human rights Human rights are Morality, moral principles or Social norm, normsJames Nickel, with assistance from Thomas Pogge, M.B.E. Smith, and Leif Wenar, 13 December 2013, Stanford Encyclopedia of PhilosophyHuman Rights Retrieved 14 August 2014 for ce ...
violations which are widely thought to be inherent in the death penalty. * Selling anti-death penalty clothing, bumper stickers, and pins to promote campaign ideals.


Affiliate organizations

The Texas Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty Th
Texas Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty
(TCADP) is a grassroots Texas organization that works to end the death penalty. TCADP is an affiliate of the National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty and the World Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty. TCADP is composed of human rights activists; death row prisoners and their families; crime victims and their families; persons working within the criminal justice system; and citizens in opposition to the
death penalty Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, is the state-sanctioned practice of deliberately killing a person as a punishment for an actual or supposed crime, usually following an authorized, rule-governed process to conclude that t ...
. New Mexico Coalition to Repeal the Death Penalty''
The New Mexico Coalition to Repeal the Death Penalty
(NM Repeal) was developed in 1997; it is a grassroots organization to abolish the death penalty. The main focus of the NM Repeal is to abolish the death penalty and replace it with the sentencing of life without the possibility of parole. The NM Repeal is founded on six principles: Victims' Families first, Innocence, Fairness, Cost, Deterrence, and International. These principles are the justification given to other people for education as to why individuals should support "repeal" of capital punishment. The organization educates the community on the effects of the death penalty on victims and their families, as well as on convicts and their families. North Carolina Coalition for a Moratorium Th
North Carolina coalition for a Moratorium
(NC Moratorium) is based in Durham, North Carolina but works closely with the Western and Eastern areas of the state. The NC Moratorium hosts a campaign that is non-partisan, housing members that are Democrats and Republicans. The mission of the campaign is to abolish the Death penalty and to eliminate "the arbitrariness, racial disparities, hidden evidence and classist approach that has characterized NC's death penalty since its inception" as quoted on the North Carolina Coalition for a Moratoriums' official website. The campaign states that it needs a moratorium in North Carolina to temporarily suspend executions while the legislature reconstructs the Capital Punishment process. , North Carolina has put a hold on executions as the state legislature debates whether or not lethal injection is considered unconstitutional, how the act will be carried out, and whether a doctor should be present during a lethal injection procedure. Project Hope to Abolish the Death Penalty''
Project Hope to Abolish the Death Penalty (Project Hope)
is an organization established in 1989 in the state of Alabama. It is a non-profit, non-denominational religious organization founded and operated by Death Row inmates. Project Hope strives to educate the public on the death penalty and to raise awareness to gain support for abolition of the death penalty in Alabama. Project Hope publishes a newsletter, ''Wings of Hope,'' four times a year. Articles are written by current inmates on death row. The publication is offered to the public, and it discusses the number of executions that has been committed in the State of Alabama or autobiographical stories of the inmates on death row. Project Hope uses Wings of Hope to educate the "outside" world on executions that occur in the state of Alabama. This organization has also taken strides to establish a moratorium in Alabama. New Yorkers Against the Death Penalty Th
New Yorkers Against the Death Penalty
(NYADP) is a grassroots organization formed in 1992 that advocates through education to abolish capital punishment. It has local chapters in Albany, Buffalo, Ithaca, Long Island, Mid-Hudson, Nassau County, New York City, Rochester, Syracuse, and Westchester. In 2007, the NYADP was successful in gaining abolition of the death penalty by the state legislature. Most of the bill's supporters wanted to establish a sentence of life without parole as the alternative. The NYADP has stated that they have revamped their mission statement to bring together victims, law enforcement, advocates for the mentally ill, restorative justice practitioners, and families of the incarcerated, around policies that address needs and reduce the likelihood of violent crime. Washington Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty Th
Washington Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty
(WCADP) aspires to abolish the death penalty by educating, advocating, and informing the public as well as political leaders. WCADP publishes newsletters, supports Washington's death row inmates, organizes activities that are anti-death penalty, and works with the media to gain coverage on the cause. Missourians to Abolish the Death Penalty Th
Missourians to Abolish the Death Penalty
(MADP) was founded in 1987 to oppose the death penalty in the state. It has chapters in Kansas City, Springfield, St. Louis and Columbia, twenty-one affiliate groups, and individuals across the state who support abolition of the death penalty. The coalition organizes opposition to the death penalty, works with state legislators to pass a moratorium, educates state residents, monitors events pertaining capital punishment, advocates alternatives other than death as punishment for crimes; and supports death row prisoners, victims and their family members as well as others affected by the action of death penalty. Other Affiliate groups in the United States not listed above can be found at the National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty website.


Recent accomplishments


Ending the death penalty for juveniles

With its "Stop Killing the Kids Campaign," NCADP played a paramount role in the abolition of the death penalty for juveniles in the United States. The campaign encouraged NCADP staff to work with citizens in South Dakota and Wyoming to pass measures to ban the death penalty for crimes committed by those under the age of 18. Additionally, the victories in South Dakota and Wyoming added to evidence for the Supreme Court to rule that the death penalty for juvenile offenders violated the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution.


Fighting reinstatement efforts

A Wisconsin ballot initiative attempted to revive the death penalty after more than 100 years; however, after NCADP's successful campaigning with local activists, the initiative was defeated.


Funding and expenses

Funding for NCADP mostly comes from voluntary contributions made to the organization while the least amount of money comes from membership dues. The greatest expenses NCADP spends their money on is for program expenses to promote their campaigns.


See also

*
Helen Prejean Helen Prejean ( ; born April 21, 1939) is a Catholic religious sister and a leading American advocate for the abolition of the death penalty. She is known for her best-selling book, '' Dead Man Walking'' (1993), based on her experiences with t ...
- a leading U.S. anti-death penalty campaigner and former chair of the NCADP. * Hugo Adam Bedau - one of the NCADP's founding members; was Austin B. Fletcher Professor of Philosophy at Tufts University.


References


External links


Interview with David Atwood, Texas Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty
Human Rights Documentation Initiative and Texas After Violence Project
National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty

Death Penalty Information Center
Statistics and studies of deterrence and economic and racial bias {{CapPun-US Organizations established in 1976 Anti–death penalty organizations in the United States