Every person living in a state that has retained the death penalty should be concerned about the fairness and accuracy of the state's death penalty system. We have urged every governor of a state with the death penalty to impose a moratorium until there has been a comprehensive review of all phases of the administration of capital punishment and remedies have been instituted to address any deficincies identified. Absent such steps, executing the innocent remains an unconscionable risk. Please write your governor and ask him or her to

1. institute an immediate moratorium on all death sentences;
2. create an independent, bipartisan impartial commission to thoroughly study all phases of the criminal justice system to identify any sources of error, arbitrtariness or bias that could affect death penalty decisions.
3. Keep moratorium in place until any problems identified by such a review have been remedied.

Sample Letter

Dear Governor :

I urge you to press for an immediate moratorium on the death penalty pending a comprehensive review of its administration in your state and the implementation of measures that will guarantee its fairness and accuracy.

As you are no doubt aware, a bi-partisan Governor's Commission on Capital Punishment in Illinois (Illinois Commission) has just released a report based on an exhaustive two-year study of the administration of the death penalty in that state. A copy of this study may be found online at http://www.idoc.state.il.us/ccp/ccp/reports/commission_reports.html. The report identifies numerous ways error, arbitrariness, and prejudice can influence capital punishment decisions.

The serious problems identified by the Illinois Commission are not unique to that state. Numerous other state and national studies have also identified significant flaws that undermine the fairness and integrity of the administration of capital punishment. Those flaws have contributed to death sentences being levied on innocent people: since 1973, one hundred innocent persons have been released from death row in twenty-four states, some of them coming within hours of execution before being spared.

As Governor, you can and must take immediate steps to ensure that no person is wrongly sentenced to death. As the Illinois Commission noted, the administration of the death penalty is enormously complex and the potential for inaccuracy, bias and capriciousness exist at every phase. Pending complete abolition of the death penalty, no person should be executed absent certainty that all problems in the capital punishment system have been identified and remedied.

I urge you to press for a moratorium that continues until 1) the state has conducted a serious, impartial and comprehensive review of every stage of the death penalty system, including pretrial investigations; death penalty eligibility; the exercise of prosecutorial discretion; the trial conduct of prosecutors and judges; adequacy of defense counsel; sentencing procedures; and post-conviction procedures and 2) reforms are instituted that address deficiencies identified in that review. While the problems and shortcomings may differ somewhat in each state, the Illinois Commission report can serve as a valuable blueprint for the kind of analysis that is necessary.

I oppose the death penalty because in all cases it constitutes a violation of human dignity and the inviolability of the human person. I also believe the ultimate, final punishment should never be imposed because of the arbitrariness, risk of error, and prejudice inherent in all criminal justice systems. Indeed, while recommending eighty-five measures that would improve the fairness and accuracy of the death penalty system, the Illinois Commission concluded unanimously that "no system, given human nature and frailties, could ever be devised or constructed that would work perfectly and guarantee absolutely that no innocent person is ever again sentenced to death." A majority of the Commission believes the death penalty should be abolished because "no system can or will be constructed which sufficiently guarantees that the death penalty will be applied without arbitrariness or error."

Thank you for your attention to this most urgent matter. I look forward to hearing about the steps your administration is taking to ensure the integrity and fairness of the state of [YOUR STATE HERE]'s criminal justice system.

Sincerely,
[YOUR NAME HERE]