Virginians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty
Tides Foundation Final Grant Report
July 15, 2017
$38,000 Death Penalty Mobilization Fund Grant
TFR 16-03372
Impact & Assessment
In October and November 2016 VADP convened five regional meetings in northern Virginia,
Richmond, Norfolk, Charlottesville, and Roanoke. We provided education on the serious mental
illness (SMI) exclusion idea and encouraged contacts with legislators to support the concept.
VADP held its 25th anniversary Awards luncheon in October. Sixty supporters heard a keynote by
Henderson Hill of the 8th Amendment Project and saw the late Janet Cowie Cook’s family accept
the Citizen Advocate of the Year award and Del. Marcus Simon get Legislator of the Year award.
VADP created a website & fact sheet on the SMI exemption for the Virginia Alliance for the Severe
Mental Illness Exclusion (VASMIE). This coalition includes DisA bility Law Center, Mental
Health A merica of Virginia, National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Virginia, NAMI Central
Virginia, National Association of Social Workers - Virginia Chapter, Virginia Counselors
Association, Virginia Organization of Consumers Asserting Leadership, and, ACLU of Virginia.
In January 2017 VADP sent an e-mail to over 4,000 supporters with information about the SMI
exemption. VADP staff attended education events sponsored by the ACLU of Virginia, NAMI
Central Virginia, the NAACP, and Virginia Interfaith Center to talk about the SMI exemption.
Op-eds supporting the SMI exemption were published by the Richmond Times-Dispatch., Jefferson
Institute for Public Policy, and the Virginian Pilot.
This was the second year of our coalition’s campaign to pass SMI exclusion legislation. We put on
a strong case for the legislation in a hearing before the full House Courts of Justice Committee.
Ultimately, we fell one vote short of passing the bill in the Criminal Law Subcommittee.
The bill was also introduced by Sen. Barbara Favola, a Democrat from northem Virginia. There
was a brief hearing before the Senate Courts of Justice Committee. Although the legislation was
defeated on a party line vote, Senators heard about the SMI exemption bill for the first time.
During the grant year VA DP gave death penalty presentations that highlighted the SMI exemption
at Talbot Park Baptist Church in Norfolk (August), St. Andrew’s Catholic Church in Roanoke
(October), St. George Episcopal Church in Fredericksburg (January), Holy Family Catholic
Church in Dale City (January), and St. James Episcopal Church in Richmond (March).
Five regional meetings in northern Virginia, Richmond, Norfolk, Charlottesville, and Roanoke were
held in the spring of 2017 that debriefed General Assembly’s consideration of the SMI exemption.
VADP partnered with other organizations in extensive clemency campaigns on behalf of three men
who were given execution dates in the first half of 2017. Ricky Javon Gray was executed in
January while William Morva was put to death in July. Ivan Teleguz was granted clemency by
Governor McAuliffe in April. The latter campaign featured a press conference and procession by
Virginia religious leaders to deliver letters supporting clemency to the Governor's office.
In June VADP organized a “teach-in” at the annual Fast & Vigil at the U.S. Supreme Court with
eight Virginia speakers - including a young libertarian, mother of a man sentenced to death, a
murder victim family member, and a former executioner. The event focused on the SMI
exemption and William Morva, a man sentenced to death for murders committed due to delusions.
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Challenges
Supporters of the SMI exemption won a short-lived victory when Del. David Albo, chair of the
House Courts of Justice Committee, came out in support of the bill. His support brought us to the
brink of victory in that committee. Unfortunately, Del. Albo announced his retirement from the
state legislature at the A pril veto session. Next year the committee will be chaired by a far less
supportive legislator - Del. Rob Bell, an avid death penalty supporter.
While we were heartened that Govemor McAuliffe granted clemency to Ivan Teleguz, he refused to
do the same for William Morva - a young man who was afflicted with a severe mental illness
when he killed a hospital security guard and a sheriff’s deputy during a jail escape.
Neither of the two candidates for Govemor in this fall’s election have indicated any willingness to
either suspend use of the death penalty in Virginia or to champion reform or repeal legislation.
Evaluation & Lessons Learned
The House Courts of Justice Committee hearing on the SMI bill demonstrated that the future
Chairman Rob Bell (Charlottesville) started to understand why coalition partners were supporting
the SMI exemption. Atleast two committee members - on supporter & one opponent of the SMI
bill - will not retum to the legislature next year. The new members of this key committee will not
be known until shortly before the 2018 legislative session begins. Depending on the fall election
results, the committee composition could either be more favorable to our legislation.
After the 2017 General Assembly, the Virginia SMI coalition met and identified key legislative
districts for grassroots education on the SMI exemption:
Del. Les Adams (Martinsville) Del. Ben Cline (Amherst)
Del. Chris Collins (Winchester) Del. Todd Gilbert (Woodstock)
Sen. Ben Chafin (Abingdon) Sen. Mark Peake (Lynchburg)
Sen. Bill Stanley (Moneta) Sen. Glen Sturtevant (Richmond)
Coalition partners will work together to carry out grassroots education work in these areas.
Funding & Finances
VADP ended its 2016 year with a positive net income of $11,333.49 and $63,908.16 in assets.
For the first six months of 2017 VADP income exceeded expenses by $4,511.43.
In February VADP sent a 2016 annual report to 193 major donors that generated $2,750 from 16
supporters. The VADP mid-year postal appeal sent in May produced $8,011 from 110 donors.
In March, the Sisters of Bon Secours awarded a $25,000 grant that enabled VA DP to hire a full-
time Field Director to educate local leaders about the SMI exemption in the legislative districts
outlined above. Dale Brumfield began work on May 22, 2017 and has already identified two key
supports of the SMI exemption in the Martinsville area.
VADP has held “friend-raising” events during the first half of 2017 in Norfolk, Washington (DC),
and Charlottesville. We anticipate holding additional “friend-raisers” in Charlottesville and
northem Virginia later in the year, but dates for these events have yet not been set.
Because of its fundraising efforts, VADP has gotten $5,000 first-time contributions from two new
donors. A partner in a major Washington, DC law firm contributed $500 at a “friend-raiser.”
VADP will continue to seek contributions from Virginia’s faith community and to increase this
source of income in 2017.
Virginians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty
Tides Foundation Interim Grant Report
July 15, 2017
$38,000 Death Penalty Mobilization Fund Grant
TFR 16-03372
Financial Report for the Grant Y ear
November 1, 2016 to J une 30, 2017
Tides Grant Expenditures
Budget (as of 6-30-2017)
Personnel Expenses:
Executive Director $ 35,000.00 $ 34,633.84
Personnel Subtotal $ 35,000.00 $ 34,633.84
Direct Expenses:
Travel 1,500.00 1,614.16
Postage & Shipping
Printing & Copying
Materials & Books
Database & Website 1,500.00 1,752.00
Direct Expenses Subtotal 3,000.00 3,366.16
Indirect Expenses:
Telephone & Fax
Development/Fundraising
Professional Fees
Indirect Expenses Subtotal
Total Expenses $ 38,000.00 $ 38,000.00
