Oregon Gov. Kate Brown has commuted the death sentences of all 17 prisoners who have received the sentence in the state and directed that Oregon’s execution chamber be dismantled.
Their sentences will now be life in prison without possibility of parole.“I have long believed that justice is not advanced by taking a life, and the state should not be in the business of executing people — even if a terrible crime placed them in prison,” Brown, the nation’s first out bisexual governor, said in a press release.“Since taking office in 2015, I have continued Oregon’s moratorium on executions because the death penalty is both dysfunctional and immoral.
Today I am commuting Oregon’s death row so that we will no longer have anyone serving a sentence of death and facing execution in this state.
This is a value that many Oregonians share.“Unlike previous commutations I’ve granted to individuals who have demonstrated extraordinary growth and rehabilitation, this commutation is not based on any rehabilitative efforts by the individuals on death row.