"Justice is not advanced by taking a life, and the state should not be in the business of executing people," said Gov. Kate Brown.Human rights advocates are applauding Oregon Gov. Kate Brown, a Democrat, after she announced Tuesday that she would commute the sentences of all 17 of the state's death row inmates and shut down its execution chamber.that she believes the death penalty is"both dysfunctional and immoral.
The sentences of the 17 people on death row will be commuted to life prison sentences without the possibility of parole. Previously, Brown granted clemency to nearly 1,000 people during the coronavirus pandemic and allowed dozens of people convicted of crimes they committed when they were under the age of 18 to apply for clemency.in recent years to end the use of capital punishment in the state. No one has been executed by the state since 1997, and Brown has continued a moratorium on executions that was established in 2011 by then-Gov. John Kitzhaber.