Oregon Gov. Kate Brown commutes sentences of 17 people on death row
NBCJUL 2022
It’s been a decade since the moratorium on executions in Oregon began, and the state’s gone 25 years without an execution, so these commutations aren’t a big policy change. Capital punishment is immoral, and research shows it doesn't prevent crime. Abolishing executions will actually save the state time and money, and it's the right ethical approach.
After a tenure full of failed policies on homelessness and crime, Brown is insulting crime victims one more time before leaving office. She was voted America's most-hated governor two years in a row and now has invoked unnecessary fears over whether a life sentence will really mean life. Given Oregon's history of radical policies, these death row inmates might even get released.