Presentation for UVA Law School
Friday, January 29, 2016
NOTES
VADP established in 1991
Mission to end the DP in Virginia through education, organizing, & advocacy
Story of my first experience with the VA death penalty in 1984
“ Execution of Linwood Briley & rowdy group of racist DP supporters
Huge difference in death sentences & executions in recent years
“ 5-10 people sentenced to death each year in Virginia
“« Executed as many as 14 people annually
« In past five years only 3 executions. Two more likely in coming months.
« No one has been sentenced to death in the past four years!
Change due largely to hard work of capital defenders
“ Regional capital representation centers did not just appear
“ Years of advocacy work to get GA to allocate $ to pay for centers
“ Once in place, prosecutors started losing capital cases
“ Started to bring fewer DP cases & more willing to plea bargain
New day in VA
« ABA panel findings in 2013
“« Mark Earley who oversaw 36 executions as AG came out against the DP
“ Six prominent Republicans have signed statement expressing concerns
about DP in Virginia
- Includes Mark Earley & Tom Bliley
“ Will go public once we reach critical mass of signatories
Successes in recent GA sessions
“« Multiple years - defeat repeal of "triggerman rule"
2014 defeat of electrocution bill
“* 2015 defeat of compounding pharmacy secrecy execution drug
legislation
- 19 Republicans joined all Democrats to defeat administration bill
Time to go on offensive legislatively
« New partnership with NAMI Virginia on SMI ban
“» Next year ARC of VA to join us on pretrial determination of ID
2016 legislative session
“ Electrocution default bill (HB 815) & SMI ban (HB 794)
* Bill on out of state compounding pharmacy drugs (SB 739)
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Q&A
