Recent Legislative Activity
Aug 26, 2019
Oregon’s New Law Narrowing Use of Death Penalty: How Retroactive is “Not Retroactive”?
When Oregon’s legislators passed a new law limiting the scope of the state’s death penalty
State And Federal Info
Oregon
History of the Death Penalty
The death penalty was first adopted in Oregon in 1864. Hangings were carried out publicly until 1903, when the Oregon Legislature amended the law and moved executions to the Oregon State Penitentiary.
Milestones in Abolition/Reinstatement
Oregon abolished the death penalty in 1914 via popular vote. It was reinstated again in 1920, also by popular vote. In 1964, Oregon voters once again voted to repeal the death penalty. On Nov. 5, 1964, two days after Oregon voters abolished the death penalty for the second time, then-Gov. Mark O. Hatfield commuted the death sentences of the three inmates on death row, including the only woman ever to be sentenced to death in Oregon.
The death penalty was reinstated by popular vote in 1978.
In 1981, the Oregon Supreme Court declared the death penalty unconstitutional, but Oregon voters reinstated capital punishment in 1984.
On November 22, 2011, Governor John Kitzhaber declared a moratorium on executions, saying “I refuse to be a part of this compromised and inequitable system any longer; and I will not allow further executions while I am Governor.” Both of Oregon’s post-Furman executions happened during Kitzhaber’s first administration as governor. Both inmates dropped their appeals and “volunteered” for execution. Of those two executions, Kitzhaber said, “I was torn between my personal convictions about the morality of capital punishment and my oath to uphold the Oregon constitution. They were the most agonizing and difficult decisions I have made as Governor and I have revisited and questioned them over and over again during the past 14 years.”
Saying “[t]here needs to be a broader discussion about fixing the system,” Governor Kate Brown announced on February 18, 2015, that she would continue the state’s moratorium on executions. Brown said “[u]ntil that discussion, I will be upholding the moratorium imposed by Gov. Kitzhaber.”
Other Interesting Facts
Oregon executed two brothers (George and Charles Humphery) on the same day in 1913.
Resources
Oregon Execution Totals Since 1976
News & Developments
Recent Legislative Activity
Aug 02, 2019
Oregon Governor Signs Bill Narrowing Use of the Death Penalty
Calling the state’s death penalty “dysfunctional,” “costly,” and “immoral,” Oregon Governor Kate Brown (pictured, left, at signing ceremony) on August 1, 2019 signed a bill significantly limiting the crimes for wh…
Representation
Jul 08, 2019
Death-Penalty News and Developments for the Week of July 8 – 14: Conviction and Death Sentence Overturned for Lone Woman on Oregon Death Row
NEWS: JULY 10 — An Oregon trial court has overturned the conviction and death sentence of Angela McAnaulty, the only woman on the state’s death row.…
Recent Legislative Activity
May 28, 2019
Amended Bill to Limit Oregon’s Death Penalty Easily Passes State Senate
An amended bill to narrow the circumstances in which the death penalty may be imposed in Oregon has easily passed the state senate. On May 21, 2019, by a vote of 18 – 9, the Oregon Senate passed SB 1013, whic…
Arbitrariness
Mar 13, 2019
Statements from Governors Imposing Moratoria on Executions
Statements from Governors of California, Pennsylvania, Washington, Colorado, and Oregon Halting Executions In the past few years, the governors of California, Pennsylvania, Washington, Colorado, and Oregon have put a halt to executions i…
Victims' Families
Feb 01, 2019
Victims' Families and Death Penalty Repeal Efforts
Efforts to repeal the death penalty have often focused on the needs of murder victims’ families. For example, in Connecticut, 179 murder victims’ families signed a letter to legislators, which stated, Our direct experiences with …
Recent Legislative Activity
Dec 26, 2018
After Mid-Term Elections, Legislators Poised to Renew Efforts at Death-Penalty Abolition in 2019
Empowered by the results of the November 2018 mid-term elections, legislatures in at least four states are poised to renew efforts to repeal their states’ death-penalty statutes or drastically reduce the circumstances in which capital pun…
Public Opinion
Nov 07, 2018
2018 Midterm Elections: Governors in Moratorium States Re-Elected, Controversial California D.A. Ousted
The results of the November 6, 2018 mid-term elections reflected America’s deeply divided views on capital punishment, as voters elected governors who pledged not to resume executions in the three states with death-penalty moratoriums, defeated an…
Victims' Families
Jan 10, 2018
Murder Victims’ Family Members Speak of Moving Forward, Without the Death Penalty
Family members of murder victims share no single, uniform response to the death penalty, but two recent publications illustrate that a growing number of these families are now advocating against capital punishment. In From Death Into Life…
Intellectual Disability
Dec 23, 2016
REPORT: Two-Thirds of Oregon's Death Row Have Mental Impairments, History of Severe Trauma, or Were Under 21 at Offense
Most of the prisoners on Oregon’s death row suffer from significant mental impairments, according a study released on December 20, 2016 by the Fair Punishment Project at Harvard University. The Project’s analysis …
