Everybody can take action TODAY against the death penalty in the USA. Both California and Kentucky are undergoing public scrutiny of lethal injection protocols. Members of the public (including out-of-state and overseas) can use this opportunity to respond to the Department of Corrections for each state.
California deadline: January 20th. Please see ‘Events and Action’ page, above or go straight to Death Penalty Focus’s website where they give advice on how to get your message in front of the CDCR and Governor Schwarzenegger.
Kentucky Deadline: February 1st 2010. As before, please bookmark our ‘Events and Action’ page or go straight to KCADP’s website for more information and guidelines.
In both cases, your letter should refer specifically to the proposed new protocols, but you should also use the opportunity to give your own detailed reasons why the State should not continue with the death penalty. Make your letter as long as you want! KCADP gives some very good guidance on talking points you can use, and Death Penalty Focus’ “10 reasons to oppose the Death Penalty” is highly recommended: a classic set of arguments to arm yourself with.
By law, the DoC is duty-bound to read every letter and to write a substantive personal response. Please note that California in particular has been noted for failing to do this and giving a cursory reply so if no response is forthcoming in due course please don’t be shy to follow up and ask for one – or contact Death Penalty Focus or KCADP and let them know.
The Optimism Club 