ABOLISH THE FEDERAL DEATH PENALTY

ABOLISH THE FEDERAL DEATH PENALTY

Help pass the Federal Death Penalty Prohibition Act

Help pass the Federal Death Penalty Prohibition Act

Act to End Federal Executions

We have a real chance to end the policy that enabled the former president to rush the killing of the most prisoners in the shortest amount of time in over a century. The 2023 bill has already introduced in the House (HR 4633) by Rep. Ayanna Pressley and in the Senate (SB 2299) by Sen. Dick Durbin.

Everyone who wants to abolish the death penalty is asked to help ensure their members of Congress sign on to the bills as co-sponsors, or at least commit to supporting them when they come up for a vote.

NEW RELEASE:

Amnesty International's Report on the Federal Death Penalty
Download the PDF HERE

How YOU Can Help End the Federal Death Penalty:

#1 - Use the simple letter writing tool to send a message to your Representative and Senators, and invite others to join you.

#2 - Take it to the next level: Write your members of Congress in the postal mail, call them, reach them via social media, and follow and share Death Penalty Action posts on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Tik Tok. Click here to add our custom DPA frame (shown here) to your Facebook profile picture.

#3 - Encourage any organization, faith community, club, team, school group or business to sign the "Organizational Sign-On Letter" to Congress and join the coalition!

#4 - Urge faith leaders to sign any of our sign on letters:

#5 - Bring a speaker to your class, group, conference, worship service, etc.

#6 - Help organize!  Complete our volunteer form and join the DPA Organizing Team!

#7 - Click here to help fund this campaign (includes PayPal link), or send a check to PO Box 89, Ghent, NY 12075

#8 - Use the Federal Abolitionist Tool Kit! (see below)

#1 - Use the simple letter writing tool to send a message to your Representative and Senators, and invite others to join you.

#2 - Take it to the next level: Write your members of Congress in the postal mail, call them, reach them via social media, and follow and share Death Penalty Action posts on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Tik Tok. Click here to add our custom DPA frame (shown here) to your Facebook profile picture.

#3 - Encourage any organization, faith community, club, team, school group or business to sign the "Organizational Sign-On Letter" to Congress and join the coalition!

#4 - Urge faith leaders to sign the Faith Leader Clergy Sign On Letter & Jewish clergy to sign the Jewish Sign On Letter

#5 - Bring a speaker to your class, group, conference, worship service, etc.

#6 - Help organize!  Complete our volunteer form and join the DPA Organizing Team!

#7 - Click here to help fund this campaign (includes PayPal link), or send a check to PO Box 89, Ghent, NY 12075

#8 - Use the Federal Abolitionist Tool Kit! (see below)

The Federal Abolitionist Tool Kit

Please use these tools to spread the word and take action.

  • Graphics (.zip folder) that can be sent to others or posted on social media. Included are regular post graphics, banners, Facebook cover photos and more.
  • Sample social media posts (.docx file) that you can copy and paste or use as a guide to writing your own. We recommend always including the #StopExecutions hashtag to amplify our voices together! You can also use #AbolishTheDeathPenalty & #DeathPenalty
  • A letter writing tool (.docx file) that can help you in writing emails and handwritten letters to your members of Congress. In orange font are our notes to you and the places you fill in your own information. Feel free to go off script -- these are just suggestions. We encourage you to get creative with organizing virtual letter writing parties with your networks and communities! Handwritten letters sent in the postal mail always make the most impact.
  • A one-page flyer (.png file) that provides some background information on the need to abolish the federal death penalty.
  • A sample newsletter article (.docx file) that you can use as a framework for writing an article in your organization’s newsletter.
  • Faith leader resources (.zip folder) that include sample sermons, sermon templates and other helpful tools to call your religious congregation to action.

You can also download the entire tool kit (22 MB zip file) in one click.

International allies: If you have U.S. constituents on your lists or social media, please encourage them to use DPA’s tools for writing their members of Congress. If you have other connections in your own countries to businesses/business leaders, universities or people in government, please explore those relationships to find others who would express concern to their U.S. counterparts, and encourage such persons/entities to get involved in DPA’s campaign. For example, writing to the U.S. ambassador to your country would be a great help. If your organization knows individuals who may be inclined to support this work financially, such donations would be warmly welcomed as well!

We are so excited to have you on board and we are so ready to be rid of this inhumane policy. You can use the link to this page (bit.ly/DPAtoolkit) to share with your networks and communities! We also encourage following up with your members of Congress by phone and publishing letters to the editor and op-eds.

Additional things you can do

Wear a death penalty abolition t-shirt, face mask, button or sticker - spark a conversation about what is going on with some visibility! Visit our merch site for options and pricing.

Educate yourself about the federal death penalty - The federal death penalty applies in all 50 states and U.S. territories but is used relatively rarely. 49 prisoners are currently on federal death row, most of whom are imprisoned in Terre Haute, Indiana. Prior to the Trump Administration, only three federal executions had been carried out in the modern era. Trump oversaw the execution of 13 prisoners during his last six months in office. Learn more about the federal death penalty at deathpenaltyinfo.org.

Photos from the vigils in Terre Haute, Indiana during federal executions, July 2020 and January 2021. All photos by Scott Langley.