DRAFT Death Penalty Strategic Plan
July 7, 2015
Substantive Goal:
¢ Move Virginia to de facto abolition, as measured by:
o No executions in the last 10 years (Virginia has carried out 16 in that
time)
o No more than 15 new death sentences in the last 10 years (Virginia
has issued 7 death sentences)
o Fewer than 15 people on death row (Virginia has 8 on death row
now).
Organizational Goal:
¢ Develop strong coordination and communication between all death penalty
advocates in the Commonwealth, including litigators, lobbyists,
communications folks, organizers, etc. to ensure non-litigation advocacy
moves forward in a way that follows the national strategy to abolish the
death penalty and does not undermine the work of litigators in the courts.
Coalition Members
e VADP
VA Catholic Conference
ACLU of Virginia
Amnesty USA
8” Amendment Project
ABA Death Penalty Due Process Review Project
Rob Lee (Virginia Capital Representation Resource Center)
Substantive Objectives (by conclusion of 2017 legislative session):
¢ Pretrial determination of intellectual disability
Pass legislation that requires the trial court to make a pretrial
determination of whether a capital defendant is intellectually disabled, and
thus ineligible for the death penalty (this would not preclude the defendant
to also raise the issue of intellectual disability during the sentencing phase
in the event the defendant does not prevail during the pretrial
determination).
e Prohibit execution of individuals with severe mental illness
Pass legislation that prohibits the application of the death penalty for
anyone who, at the time of the offense, suffered from significant limitations
in both their general intellectual functioning and adaptive behavior,
whether resulting from intellectual disability, dementia, traumatic brain
injury, or other disease or disability.
Proposed Messaging:
1. To be developed with ABA Death Penalty Due Process Review Project and
8 Amendment Project
Proposed Targets:
1. Del. Cline
2. Del. Loupassi
3. Del. Habeeb
4. Del. Rob Bell
Proposed Timeline and Tasks:
5. Sen. Obenshain
6. Sen. Saslaw
7. Sen. Norment
sources to fill gaps
¢ Draft advocacy tool-kit items
Fact sheets
Sample LTE and op ed
Messaging documents
In coordination with litigators, finalize substantive DONE
objectives
¢ Identify ideal messengers (i.e. mental In process
illness/intellectual disability advocates)
¢ Identify legislative patrons In process
« Identify resource gaps and potential funding Michael
Frank
(will circulate to Virginia)
¢ Develop messaging
In collaboration with the
SMI Exemption Initiative
¢ Determine capacity/interests of ABA Death
Penalty Due Process Assessment Team and
incorporate into campaign plan
Frank - Misty Thomas
¢ Finalize targets
Team
¢ Create intelligence database for each target
¢ Finalize tool kit
Ryan
Frank
¢ Finalize intelligence database
Frank
¢ Identify unlikely allies/grasstops to sign op
eds/LTEs to place in target media markets:
Draft op eds/LTEs
Identify target media outlets
¢ Identify story ideas/media hooks for each month
of campaign:
Pitch story ideas/place stories in each target media
market
Task
Person Responsible
¢ Draft bill language
¢ Identify/recruit/train volunteer organizers in
target districts
September 2015
Draft op eds/LTEs
Identify target media outlets
¢ Identify unlikely allies/grasstops to sign op
eds/LTEs to place in target media markets:
Pitch story ideas/place stories in each target media
market
¢ Continue to identify/recruit/train volunteer
organizers in target districts
¢ Advocacy trainings (VADP and AI/USA)
Michael / Ryan
October 2015
¢ Place a story in one target media market
¢ Place op eds/LTEs in one media market
¢ Advocacy trainings (VADP and AI/USA)
Michael / Ryan
November 2015
¢ Place a story in one target media market
¢ Place op eds/LTEs in each target media market
¢ Collect stories from impacted individuals and
families/identify spokespeople/witnesses
¢ Advocacy trainings (VADP and AI/USA)
Michael / Ryan
¢ Secure patrons
December 2015
¢ Place a story in one target media market
¢ Place op eds/LTEs in each target media market
Task
Person Responsible
|
¢ Collect stories from impacted individuals and
families/identify spokespeople/witnesses
¢ Editorial board and key reporter meetings (ACLU-
VA)
January 2016
Hire public affairs firm with conservative
credentials and contacts for communications and
lobbying work
If funding received
Bipartisan press conference with amendment
patrons near the first day of session.
Place a story in one target media market
Place op eds/LTEs in one media market
February 2016
¢ Place a story in one target media market
¢ Place op eds/LTEs in one media market
¢ Phone bank action targeting committee and floor
votes
March 2016
¢ Assess results of efforts and lessons for 2017
session
¢ Reassess target list
¢ Update toolkit materials
¢ TBD
Task
Person Responsible
April 2016
¢ TBD
May 2016
¢ TBD
June 2016
¢ TBD
July 2016
¢ TBD
August 2016
¢ TBD
September 2016
¢ TBD
October 2016
¢ TBD
November 2016
¢ TBD
December 2016
¢ TBD
January 2017
¢ TBD
February 2017
¢ TBD
March 2017
¢ TBD
April 2017
¢ TBD
May 2017
¢ TBD
