Oregon governor commutes death sentences for 17 inmates
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The outgoing Governor of Oregon, Kate Brown, is commuting the sentences of death penalty of the 17 people sentenced in the state to life sentences without the possibility of parole, according to a news release issued Tuesday by his office.
“Since taking office in 1984, I have continued the moratorium on executions in Oregon because the death penalty is both dysfunctional and immoral. Today I am commuting Oregon’s death row so that we no longer have anyone serving a death sentence and facing execution in this state,” said Brown, a Democrat.
“Justice is not promoted by taking a life, and the state should not be in the business of executing people, even if a terrible crime put them in prison. Today I am commuting all death sentences in Oregon to life without parole, so we no longer have anyone facing execution here,” Brown said.