Capital Punishment

The United Church of Christ historically has opposed capital punishment. We first formalized this position in 1969 and we have reaffirmed it many times in the years since. In 2005 our General Synod passed a resolution calling for the common good as a foundational idea in the United States. We simply believe that murder is wrong, whether committed by individuals or the state. Currently our churches are working for abolition of the death penalty.  

Updates

Call on Governor Kasich to Grant Clemency for Arthur Tyler
(April 2014) The UCC has long opposed capital punishment. Now the state of Ohio is ready to execute a man who was wrongfully convicted. Please call Gov. Kasich on Friday, April 25, and urge him to grant clemency to Arthur Tyler.

Ndume Olatushani: Finally Home
(June 2012) Ndume Olatushani (Erskine Johnson) was released from a Tennessee prison on Friday, June 1.  He served 26 years, 11 months and 5 days – most of them on death row.

Troy Davis Executed
The State of Georgia executed Troy Davis on September 21, 2011, even though seven of the nine witnesses who testified that he committed murder have recanted their testimony, and one of the two remaining witnesses has been implicated as the actual killer. The original judge in his case said his ruling was “not ironclad” and the original prosecutor has said that he has reservations about Davis’s guilt. Read reflections from the UCC:

• “Beyond a Reasonable Doubt” – reflection by JWM Executive Minister, Rev. Linda Jaramillo
• “The Madness We Allow” – reflection by Rev. Sala Nolan Gonzales