For the first time in the modern era, no one was sentenced to death in North Carolina during 2012. The milestone marks a victory for people throughout the state and for the organization People of Faith Against the Death Penalty, which began as a program of the North Carolina Council of Churches.
As PFADP, which is led by Executive Director Steve Dear, noted on its website:
North Carolina is well into its seventh year without an execution. Arkansas and Maryland are the only two other Southern states without an execution in the last five years.
This year PFADP traveled to every county to build the grassroots base of our movement to repeal the death penalty.
The public is hearing our message that the death penalty is no solution and is rife with expensive problems and errors.
May PFADP have continued success in its work for justice on behalf of us all.
–Aleta Payne, Development and Communications
