| Frank Thompson |
A former state penitentiary warden who oversaw the last two inmate executions in this state has joined an advocacy group determined to repeal Oregon's death penalty.
In an interview Friday with the Statesman Journal, Frank Thompson described the death penalty as "a failed public policy."
"In my opinion, capital punishment fails terribly in meeting any evidence-based outcomes," he said.
This week, Thompson joined Oregonians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty, becoming one of three new members on its advisory council.
OADP is a nonprofit advocacy group with a stated goal of repealing Oregon's death penalty through a potential ballot measure.
Thompson said Oregon can't afford the death penalty, particularly not at a time when the state's economy remains weak, threatening layoffs and cuts to public services.
By conservative estimates, he said, it costs anywhere from $9 million to $20 million per year "to keep capital punishment alive" in this state.
The figures Thompson cited were prepared by anti-death penalty activists and include costs for legal appeals for death row inmates, as well as other expenses.
The ex-warden said he favors life in prison as the suitable alternative punishment for convicted murderers sentenced to death.
"I do believe that life without the possibility of parole is an effective sanction in lieu of the death penalty," he said.
Source: StatesmanJournal.com, January 13, 2012
