Death Penalty Facts

We the People are the State

Some people feel that the State has a responsibility to protect its citizens and executions are the surest way to provide protection against murderers.

In the abstract, people may feel that it is the responsibility of the State and the State should carry out the execution. But, we are the State. The people are the State. When there is an execution, everyone is responsible, yet a few citizens are asked to carry out the task of killing another human being.

Alternatives to the Death Penalty

The Penal Alternatives

The Facts: 13 Reasons to Oppose the Death Penalty

13 Reasons to Oppose the Death Penalty in Oregon

There is a better alternative: life without parole.
In Oregon, we have the option of sentencing convicted murderers to life in prison without the possibility of parole. There are currently over 121 people in Oregon who have received this sentence.

In the Executioner's Shadow

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Common Questions

Does Oregon currently have the death penalty?

Capital punishment is legal in the U.S. state of Oregon. The first execution under the territorial government was in 1851. Capital punishment was made explicitly legal by statute in 1864, and executions have been carried out exclusively at the Oregon State Penitentiary in Salem since 1904. The death penalty was outlawed between 1914 and 1920, again between 1964 and 1978, and then again between a 1981 Oregon Supreme Court ruling and a 1984 ballot measure. Since 1904, about 60 individuals have been executed in Oregon. Aggravated murder is the only crime subject to the penalty of death under Oregon law.