Oregon Governor Commutes All Death Row Sentences

With just weeks left in office before being term-limited, Oregon Governor Kate Brown is commuting the sentences of all 17 people on death row in the state. They will instead serve life in prison with no chance of parole. Brown announced Tuesday that she would use her executive clemency powers to make the commutations, which took effect the following day, and emphasized that, unlike previous commutations she's granted, they are not based on any "rehabilitative efforts" by the individuals on death row.

"Instead, it reflects the recognition that the death penalty is immoral," she said in a statement. "It is an irreversible punishment that does not allow for correction; is wasteful of taxpayer dollars; does not make communities safer; and cannot be and never has been administered fairly and equitably." She also acknowledged the pain and uncertainty for victims as individuals sit on death row for decades without resolution, adding that she hopes this move "will bring us a significant step closer to finality in these cases."

Oregon has carried out executions of two persons in the last half century, most recently in 1997. The state has abolished and then readopted capital punishment several times throughout its history. Voters last brought the death penalty back in 1984, three years after the Oregon Supreme Court declared it unconstitutional. Then-Gov. John Kitzhaber imposed a moratorium in 2011, which Brown has continued, and a 2019 bill significantly narrowed the scope of what constitutes a capital offense in the state.

Governor-Elect Tina Kotek stated during the campaign that she is opposed to the death penalty because of her religious beliefs, and would continue the moratorium if elected.

In an interview with NPR's Morning Edition, Brown stated that the majority of her clemency work has been geared towards moving Oregon towards a more equitable criminal justice system — and notes that a disproportionate number of those currently on death row in the state are people of color. 

"Justice is not advanced by taking a life and the state should not be in the business of executing people, even if a horrible, horrible crime or crimes placed them in prison," Brown says. "The death penalty also has never been administered fairly, consistently, or equitably in Oregon or frankly, across the United States."