Oregon Gov. Kate Brown commutes sentences of 17 people on death row
NBCNov 25, 2022
The Facts
Oregon Gov. Kate Brown said on Tuesday that she will commute the sentences of all 17 inmates on death row to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
The outgoing Democratic governor's decision comes amid a state moratorium on executions that's been in effect since 2011. There have been just two executions in Oregon since 1976 — in 2019, Brown signed legislation reducing the number of crimes punishable by death.
The Spin
Left narrative
It’s been a decade since the moratorium on executions in Oregon began, and the state’s gone 25 years without an execution, so these commutations aren’t a big policy change. Capital punishment is immoral, and research shows it doesn't prevent crime. Abolishing executions will actually save the state time and money, and it's the right ethical approach.
Right narrative
After a tenure full of failed policies on homelessness and crime, Brown is insulting crime victims one more time before leaving office. She was voted America's most-hated governor two years in a row and now has invoked unnecessary fears over whether a life sentence will really mean life. Given Oregon's history of radical policies, these death row inmates might even get released.
