Governor Kate Brown commutes all of Oregon’s death sentences

[lucas80]

Good for her given the inequities and errors in how the death sentence is pursued and applied. All people on death row will serve a sentence of life in prison.
https://apnews.com/article/crime-pr...e&utm_medium=TopNews&utm_campaign=position_09

 

[mnole03]

Should have only commuted the questionable ones.

 

[Hawkeye Swarm]

Why don’t they simply outlaw the death penalty in Oregon?

 

[Hawkeye Swarm]

Good for her given the inequities and errors in how the death sentence is pursued and applied. All people on death row will serve a sentence of life in prison.
https://apnews.com/article/crime-pr...e&utm_medium=TopNews&utm_campaign=position_09

And what will you say if one of these people murders again?

 

[IowaPackFan]

And what will you say if one of these people murders again?

I’m assuming it’s life without parole.

 

[IowaPackFan]

Why don’t they simply outlaw the death penalty in Oregon?

I’m assuming that requires a change of law where a governor has the right to commute. Interim solution.
That being said, I’m all for the death penalty and think it should apply more often.

 

[Hawkeye Swarm]

I’m assuming it’s life without parole.

They can still murder in prison.

Iowa just loss a nurse and officer that were murdered in prison.

 

[Whatsgoingonwitgyouguys0190]

They can still murder in prison.

Iowa just loss a nurse and officer that were murdered in prison.

What if you murder? You’re just out here being a possible murderer.

 

[sober_teacher]

Should have only commuted the questionable ones.

Which for me, is all of them.

 

[NDallasRuss]

Should've just scheduled them all on the same day.

 

[Finance85]

I think she should have looked at each case on it's merits. She said she doesn't agree with the death penalty at all. While she has the power to commute sentences, doing so just because she disagrees with the law just seems sketchy to me.

 

[sober_teacher]

I think she should have looked at each case on it's merits. She said she doesn't agree with the death penalty at all. While she has the power to commute sentences, doing so just because she disagrees with the law just seems sketchy to me.

On the other hand, think of how much money they saved from no appeals on those sentences.

 

[West Duval Nole]

On the other hand, think of how much money they saved from no appeals on those sentences.

Was that part of the stipulation that they can't appeal? If so, why can't they still appeal the life sentence or the conviction as a whole?

 

[mnole03]

I think she should have looked at each case on it's merits. She said she doesn't agree with the death penalty at all. While she has the power to commute sentences, doing so just because she disagrees with the law just seems sketchy to me.

The people of Oregon have also voted for the death penalty over and over again.

Maybe the people of Oregon believe serial killers, domestic terrorists, and a guy who raped a three year old to death deserve the death penalty.

 

[West Duval Nole]

Which for me, is all of them.

You reviewed all of the ones she commuted or are you saying every murder conviction is questionable?

 

[mnole03]

On the other hand, think of how much money they saved from no appeals on those sentences.

The cost savings for someone in isolated custody, which would be necessary as almost a third of those on death row have killed other prisoners, ends up costing a similar amount.

 

[Finance85]

On the other hand, think of how much money they saved from no appeals on those sentences.

Do they all have appeals left?

 

[mnole03]

Do they all have appeals left?

Following AEDPA is expensive, but honestly with all of the 1983 decisions and settlements recently, isolated custody with full medical is getting to be just as expensive.

 

[mnole03]

I’ll add that this Governor is also pushing the burden of a lot of these cases to federal law enforcement.

The Woodburn bombing was both a bank robbery and domestic terrorism. The federal government let the state charge the bomber because Oregon agreed to pursue the death penalty. Now the US Attorney will likely do it at increased cost to everyone.

 

[kc78]

We're one of the few civilized countries that still kills its inmates. It's time we moved on. I applaud her for this move.

 

[Lindemann]

Good for her. A government of the people, by the people, for the people shouldn't be killing it's people.

 

[Titanhawk2]

Good for her given the inequities and errors in how the death sentence is pursued and applied. All people on death row will serve a sentence of life in prison.
https://apnews.com/article/crime-pr...e&utm_medium=TopNews&utm_campaign=position_09

How authoritarianly compassionate of her

 

[sober_teacher]

You reviewed all of the ones she commuted or are you saying every murder conviction is questionable?

All death sentences.

 

[lucas80]

How authoritarianly compassionate of her

She exercised her constitutionally authorized powers. But, sure.

 

[FlickShagwell]

An NPR reporter interviewed workers who carried out more than 200 death row executions in various capacities. A lot of them are traumatized by the experience. We don’t consider the actual people who have to do the killing, or are part of the bureaucracy when we think about the death penalty. The reporter did an “Ask Me Anything” on Reddit last week. Here’s one of the best quotes:

There were quite a few who had military or law enforcement experience before becoming corrections officers. But almost all of them who did have that previous experience made it very clear to me that carrying out executions was totally different. I talked to someone who was a marine before he became an executioner in South Carolina.

Let me share a direct quote from one of our conversations: "If you're in the military, you're fighting a war. And when you're fighting a war, you have soldiers shooting at you and you are shooting back at the soldier. There's a difference in the killing of a person like this than shooting in a war. Because they're firing at you and you're firing back. Here, every single one of the death certificates says 'state assisted homicide.' And the state was me."

 

[DooBi]

I'm good with this. Might just have saved an innocent person's life.

 

[mnole03]

An NPR reporter interviewed workers who carried out more than 200 death row executions in various capacities. A lot of them are traumatized by the experience. We don’t consider the actual people who have to do the killing, or are part of the bureaucracy when we think about the death penalty. The reporter did an “Ask Me Anything” on Reddit last week. Here’s one of the best quotes:

There were quite a few who had military or law enforcement experience before becoming corrections officers. But almost all of them who did have that previous experience made it very clear to me that carrying out executions was totally different. I talked to someone who was a marine before he became an executioner in South Carolina.

Let me share a direct quote from one of our conversations: "If you're in the military, you're fighting a war. And when you're fighting a war, you have soldiers shooting at you and you are shooting back at the soldier. There's a difference in the killing of a person like this than shooting in a war. Because they're firing at you and you're firing back. Here, every single one of the death certificates says 'state assisted homicide.' And the state was me."

I mean sure, if you’re an infantryman. Drone operators and anyone firing a missile aren’t exactly in harm’s way. They’re killing targets we’ve determined are dangerous.

 

[mnole03]

We're one of the few civilized countries that still kills its inmates. It's time we moved on. I applaud her for this move.

Does civilized mean white?

 

[FlickShagwell]

I mean sure, if you’re an infantryman. Drone operators and anyone firing a missile aren’t exactly in harm’s way. They’re killing targets we’ve determined are dangerous.

You’re missing the point.

 

[tarheelbybirth]

Should have only commuted the questionable ones.

How do "questionable" convictions end up on death row in the first place?

 

[FlickShagwell]

An NPR reporter interviewed workers who carried out more than 200 death row executions in various capacities. A lot of them are traumatized by the experience. We don’t consider the actual people who have to do the killing, or are part of the bureaucracy when we think about the death penalty. The reporter did an “Ask Me Anything” on Reddit last week. Here’s one of the best quotes:

There were quite a few who had military or law enforcement experience before becoming corrections officers. But almost all of them who did have that previous experience made it very clear to me that carrying out executions was totally different. I talked to someone who was a marine before he became an executioner in South Carolina.

Let me share a direct quote from one of our conversations: "If you're in the military, you're fighting a war. And when you're fighting a war, you have soldiers shooting at you and you are shooting back at the soldier. There's a difference in the killing of a person like this than shooting in a war. Because they're firing at you and you're firing back. Here, every single one of the death certificates says 'state assisted homicide.' And the state was me."

Story from Oregon, which might give more context to this decision:

Here's some of Frank Thompson's story. Frank grew up in the segregated South and remembers when two white men tortured and lynched 14-year-old Emmett Till in Mississippi. He used to believe that people who did things like that could deserve to die. But when he was the working as a superintendent in Oregon in the 90s, the state suddenly held two executions. Oregon hadn't executed anyone in more than 30 years. It came as a surprise to many of the people working there who hadn't realized that was going to be something they would have to be involved in. No one on staff had any experience in executions by then, so everything they did to prepare for those two executions -- the training, the research to see how to actually pull it off, building the tools they needed to carry out the executions -- all of that they did from scratch.

Thompson said the stress of so many inexperienced people trying to do this thing they had been ordered to do by the court without any problems was immense on everyone involved. Everyone had negative effects, he said, including himself. Frank said even the governor was incredibly affected. The governor had to decide whether he'd give clemency to the two people sentenced to die (he didn't, but later issued a moratorium so the state wouldn't have to be in that position again).

After coordinating those two executions, Frank said he realized that carrying executions just expands the number of victims involved with the death penalty. By those new victims, he meant the staff in the prison and their families. Frank is one of the people I interviewed who has shared his story before. You can read more about why he changed his mind in this piece he wrote, published by the NYT.

 

[tarheelbybirth]

Does civilized mean white?

https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/policy...t-have-abolished-the-death-penalty-since-1976

 

[mnole03]

https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/policy...t-have-abolished-the-death-penalty-since-1976

Right, where are China, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, India, Israel, etc?

 

[tarheelbybirth]

I mean sure, if you’re an infantryman. Drone operators and anyone firing a missile aren’t exactly in harm’s way. They’re killing targets we’ve determined are dangerous.

You need to read up on those folks. It is highly traumatizing for them. Most don't last long...I'd be really worried about the ones who enjoyed it.

 

[mnole03]

You need to read up on those folks. It is highly traumatizing for them. Most don't last long...I'd be really worried about the ones who enjoyed it.

People need to read up on what goes on in Super Max prisons, generally. Most correctional officers don’t last long.

Correctional officers’ life expectancy is 12 years shorter than average. Why do you think that is?

 

[seminole97]

How do "questionable" convictions end up on death row in the first place?

Elected prosecutors?

 

[sober_teacher]

How do "questionable" convictions end up on death row in the first place?

Poor defense attorneys, biased juries, prosecutorial misconduct, judges. It’s been well documented over the years that the death penalty has never been employed accurately, fairly or well over the years; with countless examples of wrongful convictions.

I simply can’t be onboard with the death penalty until and unless you can 100% guarantee me that we’ll never execute an innocent person. And as long as humans are involved in the process you can’t.

 

[mnole03]

Elected prosecutors?

Contested facts, multiple assailants, questions of IQ or competency.

 

[mnole03]

Poor defense attorneys, biased juries, prosecutorial misconduct, judges. It’s been well documented over the years that the death penalty has never been employed accurately, fairly or well over the years; with countless examples of wrongful convictions.

I simply can’t be onboard with the death penalty until and unless you can 100% guarantee me that we’ll never execute an innocent person. And as long as humans are involved in the process you can’t.

Like five of the seventeen are quite literally on videotape murdering people while wearing identification numbers.

Is it alright if we execute them? What about the serial killer who told authorities where to find the bodies? What about the ones where there’s DNA evidence and admissions?

 

[tarheelbybirth]

Poor defense attorneys, biased juries, prosecutorial misconduct, judges. It’s been well documented over the years that the death penalty has never been employed accurately, fairly or well over the years; with countless examples of wrongful convictions.

I simply can’t be onboard with the death penalty until and unless you can 100% guarantee me that we’ll never execute an innocent person. And as long as humans are involved in the process you can’t.

Right there with you.