In 1976, the United States Supreme Court voted to allow the reinstatement of the death penalty. Members of Amnesty International's Death Penalty Committee immediately reacted and began meeting to create an abolition strategy. One member of this committee, Marie Deans, felt like the committee was almost entirely focused on people on death row, little mention was made about the feelings of murder victims or their surviving families. Marie personally knew what it was like to be a family member of a murder victim, her mother-in-law, Penny Deans, had been killed in 1972 by an escaped convict. The Deans family opposed the death penalty and voiced their opinion during the murder trial which caused them to be harshly criticized by their community. Based on her own experience, Marie began to talk about the experience of the victim at Amnesty International meetings. A few fellow members of Amnesty International agreed that victims' voices needed to be heard and decided to launch a national group that would allow murder victims to share their opposition to the death penalty. After tracking down other family members of murder victims, Murder Victims' Families Against the Death Penalty was formed. The small, loose-knit group made it their mission to speak about the needs of victims and opposition to the death penalty.

By the 1980s, executions had dramatically increased and organization members were kept busy by responding to scheduled executions and proposed legislative bills. Members knew that they had to do more than just react, they needed to be able to plan and carry out their own events in opposition to the death penalty. Board members met in Albany, NY in 1988 to discuss how the organization could be more proactive. To be able to react in the way they wanted, the organization needed to be more formally organized. In the early 1990s, the organization became incorporated and received tax exempt status. At the same time, the organization decided to change its name. Now the group would be known as Murder Victims' Families for Reconciliation. This name change was meant to show the full range of the organizations mission, they not only fought against the death penalty but were for alternatives and for programs that addressed the needs of victims. With this name change in effect, the organization elected an organizing board of directors, began putting out a newsletter, The Voice, and created a website.

With a formal structure in place, Murder Victims' Families for Reconciliation, also known as MVFR, began to organize national events. After two years of planning, the first event was held in 1993. Known as the Journey of Hope, the event was a two week long educational tour in Indiana that made additional stops in Illinois, Kentucky, and Ohio. While only 120 people participated in the event, the effect was powerful and requests came in for additional events. Over the next four years, Journey of Hope hosted 650 events in several states and had 60,000 people participate. By 1997, Journey of Hope became so large that it became its own organization. While the two groups separated, many MVFR members continued to participate in Journey of Hope tours. Journey of Hope events are not the only time that MVFR members speak vocally about their beliefs. MVFR members also participate in state action events where protests against the death penalty are held, provide testimony for court and legislative hearings, meet with victims organizations to discuss victim assistance programs, participate in and hold conferences, and host benefit concerts. Along with this work, MVFR members also organized a prisoner education program in Virginia which focused on Peace Studies and alternatives to violence and created a book and photo text exhibit both named "Not In Our Name". The book and exhibit combined photos of victims' families with summaries of their stories and small statements about why they opposed the death penalty.

Membership in MVFR is not just restricted to the family members of victims of violent crimes. Families of the executed are also considered full members of MVFR. Since executions are another form of killing, MVFR feels that the executed and their families are victims also and deserve to have their voices heard. Those who oppose the death penalty but are not related to murder victims can also join MVFR as associate members. Associate members do not have voting rights within the organization and only one associate member may serve on MVFRs board at a time. By allowing associate membership, MVFR was able to broaden its reach and allow other groups to affiliate with it.