LA REPEAL
Organizing to end Louisiana's death penalty.
Welcome to LA REPEAL
We are a coalition of community members, activists, faith leaders, and everyday people organizing to end the death penalty in Louisiana.
Take the Pledge
Join Sister Helen Prejean, author of “Dead Man Walking”, and thousands of other Louisianans working to end the penalty. We are stronger with you, take the pledge today.
Contact your Legislators Right Now!
A powerful thing you can do right now is let your legislator know how you feel about the death penalty. To easily send you Louisiana state legislator an email encouraging them to END the death penalty CLICK HERE.
If you’d like more information to share with your legislator, visit the “Why REPEAL?” section below.
Photo courtesy of Brendan Smialowski / AFP / Getty
Why REPEAL?
There are many reasons to Repeal Louisiana’s Death Penalty:
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The majority of Christian denominations have joined Catholics in working to end the death penalty. As Pope Francis explains, the death penalty is “against the inviolability of life and dignity of human person… does not render justice to the victims but rather fosters vengeance.” Louisiana is one of the most religious states in the country, with over 70% of the state highly devout. The death penalty is out of step with our values.
Join Louisiana Catholic Leaders and Communities working to end the death penalty and learn more about the religious case for ending the death penalty.
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Louisiana leads the nation per capita in wrongful death sentences. Since 1973, 164 people have been released from death row after evidence revealed that they were exonerated. 11 of those exonerations come from Louisiana. There has been one exoneration for every 2.5 executions in Louisiana over the last fifty years.
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The death penalty is not a deterrent. The Department of Justice’s National Institute of Justice makes clear there is no evidence that the death penalty deters crime and that the certainty of being caught is a the most powerful deterrent. Many law enforcement believe that time and resources spent on the death penalty is better spent preventing crime, supporting victims, funding police efforts and catching criminals.
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The death penalty is exorbitantly expensive. One recent LA case involving five co-defendants cost fifteen million dollars, resulting in just two death sentences that are still under appeal. Keeping the death penalty in Louisiana for individuals charged with homicides after August 1, 2018 will cost almost ¼ billion dollars, before any death sentences is enforced.
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Since 1961, less than 1 in a thousand of the 30,000 murders in Louisiana have resulted in an execution. Our death penalty is not reserved for the “worst of the worst” but is correlated with geography, race, mental illness, and a handful of harsh judges, deficient defense lawyers, and aggressive prosecutors.
Louisiana Leads in Wrongful Convictions
Louisiana has the highest wrongful conviction rate in the country and has sentenced more innocent people per capita to death than any other state.
Since 1973, at least 164 people have been released after evidence revealed that they were sentenced to die for crimes they did not commit. 11 of those exonerations come from Louisiana.
In Louisiana, there has been more than one innocent person exonerated for every three who have been executed. Wrongful convictions rob innocent people of years and decades, waste tax dollars, and re-traumatize victims. Wrongful death sentences undermine confidence in the justice system.
11 men have been exonerated of Louisiana’s death row.
Here are a few of their stories that highlight the injustice of wrongful conviction and the resilience of those who survive it.
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John Thompson
John Thompson was wrongfully sentenced to death for a murder he did not commit based on a prior conviction for a robbery he did not commit. His wrongful convictions occurred due to exculpatory evidence being withheld by the prosecution. While on death row, Thompson suffered through seven scheduled execution dates. He had 18 years of his life taken away from him.
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Damon Thibodeaux
Damon Thibodeaux was wrongfully sentenced to death for a rape and murder that he did not commit. His conviction resulted from a coerced confession. DNA evidence helped to prove his innocence. He had 15 years of his life taken away from him.
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Ryan Matthews
Ryan Matthews was wrongfully sentenced to death when he was only 17 years old. He was exonerated by DNA evidence. He had 5.1 years of his life taken away from him.
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Shareef Cousin
Shareef Cousin was wrongfully sentenced to death when he was only 16 years old. He was wrongfully convicted of a murder that occurred elsewhere by another person while he was innocently playing in a recreational basketball game. He had 3 years of his life taken away from him.
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Glenn Ford
Glenn Ford was wrongfully sentenced to death for a murder he did not commit. He was released after the prosecutor’s office uncovered evidence of his innocence. He had 29.3 years of his life taken away from him; sadly, he died from cancer one year after he obtained his freedom.
LA Repeal needs your help to end Louisiana’s broken death penalty
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Spread the Word
Follow us on Facebook, and Twitter, make sure you’re on our email list, and then share our updates with your networks.
Become a speaker to share your personal experiences and/or present death penalty information.
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Educate for Repeal
Host a speaker, film showing, or book discussion with your neighbors, school, faith or civic group, or host a table with informational materials at your event, school, or place of worship. We can work with you to design information specific to your group or faith community.
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Help us Connect to Key Constituencies
We are looking for: Faith leaders, current or retired law enforcement professionals (police, prosecutors, corrections’ officials, judges), crime survivors, local community leaders, and more. Reach out to let us know if you are one of these key constituencies, or if you know of others who are.
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Join the Conversation
Take the pledge, contact your legislator, submit a letter to the editor of your local paper, talk about death penalty repeal with your faith community, or join us at a lobby day for repeal.
Make your voice heard
We want to build relationships with individuals with unique experiences to help us with the effort to repeal the death penalty.
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Many current and retired law enforcement experts have spoken out against the death penalty. It is because of their expertise that they know the death penalty is ineffective at preventing crime, siphons away valuable resources, ensnares victims’ families in a labyrinth legal process, and distracts from smart-on-crime solutions that would improve community safety.
If you are a member of law enforcement who has questions or concerns about the death penalty, please contact us today.
We invite members of the law enforcement community to read and sign onto this “Letter from Louisiana Law Enforcement” in support of repealing Louisiana’s death penalty.
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Those who have lost loves ones to murder have a unique perspective on the impact of the death penalty. If you have lost a loved one to murder we want to hear from you.
We invite you to consider signing the “Letter from Louisiana Murder Victims’ Families.” or head to Journey of Hope for more information on how to get involved.
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Louisiana is forming a Conservatives Concerned about the Death Penalty chapter. Sign up for updates from Conservative Concerned About the Death Penalty here.
Learn more about what some conservative leaders are saying about the death penalty.
Want to learn more?
Notable Louisiana death row exonerees, Shareef Cousin and John Thompson in 2007. Photo courtesy of Matt Rose via The Times Picayune.
