Oregon Governor Kate Brown commutes sentences of 17 people on death row

Oregon Governor Kate Brown announced plans Tuesday to commute the sentences of the 17 people on Oregon’s death row to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole, likely using her executive clemency powers for the last time as governor.

In a statement, Brown criticized the practice of capital punishment, saying the death penalty “cannot be and never has been administered fairly and equitably.”

“I have long believed that justice is not advanced by taking a life, and the state should not be in the business of executing people—even if a terrible crime placed them in prison,” Brown said.

“Unlike previous commutations I’ve granted to individuals who have demonstrated extraordinary growth and rehabilitation, this commutation is not based on any rehabilitative efforts by the individuals on death row. Instead, it reflects the recognition that the death penalty is immoral.”

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Brown said that the commutations were consistent with a moratorium on the death penalty initiated in 2011 by then-Gov. John Kitzhaber, a Democrat.

“I also recognize the pain and uncertainty victims experience as they wait for decades while individuals sit on death row—especially in states with moratoriums on executions—without resolution. My hope is that this commutation will bring us a significant step closer to finality in these cases,” Brown said.

Oregon is one of 27 states that permit the death penalty. In 2021, Virginia became the latest state to legislatively abolish the practice, opting instead for a sentence of life imprisonment with no possibility for parole, data from the National Conference of State Legislatures shows.

The death penalty was first legalized in Oregon in the 19th century but has been abolished and reinstated three times since then. It was most recently reinstated in 1984 with two executions taking place in since then, in Sept. 1996 and May 1997.

Brown, a Democrat, who is term-limited, first took office in 2015 and will be succeeded in January by Democrat Tina Kotek. Brown was ranked earlier this year with the highest disapproval ratings of any governor in the country.

Brown’s order takes effect Wednesday.