(RNS) — More than 50 faith, civil rights and other organizations launched a joint initiative to oppose the death penalty in the United States as the groups’ leaders say they have been alarmed by increases in its use over the past year.
Laura Porter, executive director of the new initiative, the U.S. Campaign to End the Death Penalty, announced the initiative to media in a virtual event on Wednesday (Dec. 3).
“In this moment, we see a very clear disconnect between the handful of politicians pushing for more executions and the expansion of the death penalty and current public sentiment on this issue,” she said, adding that those in the coalition will work to build joint advocacy and messaging strategies “to coordinate a national response to executions.”
Sister Helen Prejean, a longtime Catholic anti-death penalty activist and the author of the book “Dead Man Walking,” was one of several who spoke at the announcement.
“When you look at the death penalty itself, it epitomizes all the deep wounds in our society, and top-most among that is that you use violence and cruelty to solve social problems,” she said.
According to the Death Penalty Information Center, 44 prisoners have been executed in 11 states in the U.S. in 2025, an increase from 25 pris …