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.