Equal Justice USA

Equal Justice USA is a 501(c)3 organization that mobilizes and educates ordinary citizens around issues of crime and punishment in the U.S. Our work brings into public focus the racial, economic, and political biases that permeate our legal system. By transforming our culture of vengeance and violence, we build support for an alternative public policy that is both effective and humane.

Equal Justice USA is expanding!

Equal Justice USA has been a program of the Quixote Center for nearly 20 years. But on July 1, we took a big leap and spun off from the Center to become an independent organization.

The end of the death penalty is near and we’re ready to seize the momentum! As we turn the page onto this new chapter, EJUSA will expand into more states, hire more organizers, and channel all our energy toward what we do best – ending the death penalty.

You can be a part of the new EJUSA!

Become a founding member with a gift to EJUSA.

Sign up here to stay up-to-date on our progress. (Be sure to include your zip code so we can invite you to one of our kick-off parties if you live near Washington, DC or New York City.)

* The Quixote Center has generously agreed to let us retain our space until we’re settled in a new home. So you’ll notice our address and other details haven’t changed yet. Meanwhile our two sub-projects (the DC Area Books to Prisons Project and the Grassroots Investigation Project) will continue to flourish at the Quixote Center after we leave. We thank the Center heartily for their decades of friendship and support.

Check on the latest news, moratorium bill status, actions and local contacts in your state!

Recent News and Alerts:

On December 17th, 2007, New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine signed into law a bill to repeal the death penalty. New Jersey is the first state in the country to legislatively abolish its death penalty since the Supreme Court allowed states to impose the sentence in 1976. Congratulations to our state partners in NJADP for a truly inspiring campaign! Help spread the momentum to other states by donating online.
Last March, a group of 51 Maryland police, prosecutors and correctional officials called on the General Assembly to repeal the death penalty, saying it is ineffective, wastes public safety resources and provides no additional security to police and prison employees. See the press release and the letter to the legislature.
New Jersey's Death Penalty Study Commission released its findings and recommended that the New Jersey legislature replace the death penalty with life without the possibility of parole. Read EJUSA's full press release.
On October 27th, 2006, St. Louis became the 150th municipality nationwide to pass a resolution in support of a moratorium on executions. The board's decision came less than two weeks after a federal judge rejected Missouri’s lethal injection protocols for the second time, placing all executions on hold. See EJUSA's press release.
Just 3 days after St. Louis became the 150th municipality to endorse a moratorium on executions, El Paso County's Commissioner's Court also passed a moratorium resolution after powerful testimony from death-row exoneree Juan Melendez and several murder victims' family members. Read the full story in the El Paso Times.
The National Black Law Students Association (NBLSA) passed a resolution in favor of a moratorium in March, noting that 62 of the 123 men exonerated from death row have been black. NBLSA also stated hat they take no official moral position on the death penalty, but rather are alarmed by the growing body of evidence of bias and errors in the system. See the full text of their resolution.

See Recent News Archives

Tally Update:

Shelby County, TN, St. Louis, MO and El Paso County, TX are the three most recent municipalities to pass resolutions supporting a moratorium on executions! That brings the Municipal Tally to 152! Congratulations to Tennesseeans Against State Executions, Missourians to Abolish the Death Penalty and El Pasoans Against the Death Penalty.
Pass a resolution in your group or organization.
Cultivate Hometown Pride and Do Justice: Get your local government to pass a moratorium resolution.
Visit the Moratorium Tally to see the list of organizations that have passed such resolutions.

Equal Justice USA
20 Jay St, #808, Brooklyn, NY 11201
tel: 718-801-8940 fax: 718-801-8947
www.ejusa.org info@ejusa.org