NEW VOICES: Former Washington Corrections Officials Support Halting Executions

In an op-ed in the Seattle Times, two former Washington state corrections officials voiced their support of Gov. Jay Inslee’s decision to put executions on hold. Dick Morgan (pictured, L), a former Director of Prisons, and Eldon Vail (pictured, R), former Secretary of the Washington Department of Corrections, wrote about their participation in the state’s 5 executions, saying, “We have witnessed visibly shaken staff carry out a questionable law that condones killing inmates who have been captured, locked behind bars and long since ceased being a threat to the public.” They agreed with the governor that the death penalty is too costly and applied unfairly, and added, “Ultimately, the death penalty is not about whether a given person deserves to live or die — it’s about whether government should be making that call.” In an opposing op-ed, former Kitsap County deputy prosecutor Brian Moran highlighted the heinous crimes committed by death row inmates and Washington’s use of proportionality review, which he said ensures that death sentences are proportional and fair.

(E. Vail and D. Morgan, “It’s wrong for the state to take a life,”; B. Moran, “Consider the victims and their families,” Seattle Times, February 22, 2014). See New Voices and Recent Legislaton.