Kate Brown criticized the death sentence, stating that it “cannot be and has never been administered fairly and equitably.”
The governor of Oregon has announced that she will commute the sentences of all 17 death row inmates in the state.
Kate Brown likely exercised her executive clemency powers for the final time as governor when she announced their execution sentences will be commuted to life without the possibility of release.
In a statement, she criticized the death penalty, claiming that it “cannot be and has never been administered honestly and equitably.”
Ms. Brown stated, “I have long believed that taking a life does not promote justice, and the state should not be in the business of executing people – even if a heinous crime landed them in prison.
“In contrast to prior commutations I’ve granted to individuals who have shown tremendous development and rehabilitation, this commutation is not based on the death row inmates’ rehabilitation efforts.
Instead, it expresses the realization that capital punishment is immoral.
She stated that the commutations were compatible with a moratorium on the death penalty instituted by Democratic Governor John Kitzhaber in 2011.
She went on: “I am also aware of the agony and apprehension victims endure as they wait for decades as individuals languish without resolution on death row, particularly in jurisdictions with moratoriums on executions.
I expect that this commutation will bring us a major step closer to a final resolution in these instances.
According to data from the National Conference of State Legislatures, Virginia was the most recent state to ban the practice by legislation, opting instead for a sentence of life in prison without the chance of parole.
Oregon legalized the death sentence for the first time in the 19th century, but it has been repealed and resurrected three times since then. Since its most recent reinstatement in 1984, two executions have occurred in September 1996 and May 1997.
Ms. Brown, a term-limited Democrat, assumed office in 2015 and will be followed in January by fellow Democrat Tina Kotek. She also had the highest disapproval ratings of any governor in the country this year.
