VIRGINIANS FOR
f ALTERNATIVES
TO THE DEATH PENALTY
VADP Vision: Abolish the Death Penalty in 2020
VADP Today
Virginians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty is a citizen organization established in 1991 to
end the death penalty in the Commonwealth through education, organizing, and advocacy.
VADP has a $172,500 budget that employs two staff persons. VADP is led by Executive Director
Michael Stone who has 25 years of experience in social justice work with the Catholic Diocese of
Richmond and the wider interfaith community in Virginia. Field Director Dale Brumfield is
organizing local business, civic, and religious leaders in key legislative districts for death penalty
abolition — mostly in southside and southwestern Virginia and in the Shenandoah Valley.
Current Environment
Nineteen states and the District of Columbia have banned the death penalty, seven in the past
twelve years — New York, New Jersey, Illinois, New Mexico, Maryland, Connecticut, and
Delaware. Even in death penalty states, the number of executions and death sentences have
declined significantly in the past decade.
Virginia is rapidly moving toward de facto abolition. In years past Virginia sentenced 5-10 people
to death and executed as many as 14 people annually. The Commonwealth has executed four
people in the past five years and no one has been sentenced to death in nearly 7 years. There are
three men currently on Virginia’s death row.
If capital defense attorneys keep others from joining death row, it will be empty by January 2020.
Goal
Abolish the death penalty in the 2020 session of the Virginia General Assembly.
Strategy
By 2020 VADP will develop enough support for a debate at the General Assembly to seek an end
capital punishment. VADP has been working with legislators to introduce reform bills
recommended by the 2013 American Bar Association’s Virginia Death Penalty Assessment Team.
This debate reveals flaws in the capital system and moves legislators toward abolition
For the past three legislative sessions, a Republican patron has sponsored legislation in the House
of Delegates to ban the execution of people with serious mental illness.
In 2020 abolition bills will be introduced in both the Virginia House of Delegates and Senate with
bipartisan sponsors.
May 29, 2018
Tactics
Today, an overwhelming number of Democrats serving in the Virginia House of Delegates and
Senate oppose the death penalty. The challenge for us is to engage Conservatives to discuss the
issue and persuade Republican legislators to support an end to capital punishment in Virginia.
In 2018 a group of 18 Republicans and Libertarians signed a letter supporting legislation to
exempt people with severe mental illness from the death penalty. Signers included former
Republican Attorneys General Ken Cuccinelli and Mark Earley as well as former Congressman
Thomas Bliley.
Staffing
While current VADP staff have had some success in securing support for death penalty reform
and abolition from Conservative leaders, it is clear that additional, specialized support will be
necessary to win abolition. An additional full-time staff person with deep roots in Virginia
Conservative circles is essential to help carry out this work in additional legislative districts.
Budget
Generate $50,000 to hire an experienced Conservative activist to do outreach work in key areas
of the Commonwealth of Virginia.
Donor Opportunities
$10,000 One donor
$ 5,000 Two donors
$ 2,500 Eight donors
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May 29, 2018
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May 29, 2018
