TCADP

The Texas Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty (TCADP) is a grassroots Texas organization comprised of individuals and groups who work to end the death penalty in all cases, everywhere. We are an inclusive organization composed of human rights activists; death row prisoners and their families; crime victims and their families; persons working within the criminal justice system; persons opposed to capital punishment on religious and moral grounds; and other concerned citizens opposed to capital punishment.

We invite and elicit support from all peoples, all races, and all classes, within & outside of Texas.

TCADP is affiliated with the National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty (NCADP) and the World Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty (WCADP).
TCADP is involved in many activities to abolish the death penalty.

  •   Education in churches, schools and other organizations;
  •  Support for victims of crime and their families and friends;
  •  Support for prisoners on death row and their families and friends;
  •   Participation in protests and vigils at executions and other events;
  •   Development and coordination with international support for abolition;
  •   Development and support of legislation to make the judicial process fairer, reduce the number of executions and ultimately Abolition of the death penalty
  •   Initiation of special campaigns and activities focusing on abolition;
  •   Fundraising to support our programs

What are our concerns and beliefs?

The TCADP is concerned with the level of violence in our society and the suffering experienced by the victims of crime and their families. We believe that the death penalty is a false solution to crime which only continues the cycle of violence in our society. The death penalty creates another set of victims, the family and friends of the executed person. We favor alternatives to the death penalty which are civilized, moral and protective of society. We reject capital punishment for the following reasons:

  •   The death penalty is an act of violence that degrades and brutalizes our state; 
  •   In a civilized society, one killing does not justify another killing;
  •   The death penalty is unnecessary for the protection of society. Long-term incarceration both protects society and punishes the offender;
  •   The death penalty is unfairly applied to people of low economic status;
  •   The death penalty is applied to persons with  mental illness;
  •   Misconduct by prosecutors has been recorded in numerous cases;
  •   Innocent people have been sentenced to death and in some cases executed;
  •   Capital punishment does not deter crime;
  •   Capital punishment is more expensive than life in prison and diverts scarce resources away from effective crime prevention activities;
  •   Support for the death penalty drops significantly below 50% when alternative sentences which are protective of society are offered as options;
  •   Abolition of the death penalty, or a moratorium on its application, has been called  for by the Texas Conference of Churches, the Catholic Bishops of Texas, the American Bar Association, Amnesty International and the UN Commission on Human Rights;
  •   The death penalty targets racial minorities.

How is TCADP organized?

The TCADP is a state-wide, non-profit corporation with 501(c)(3) status from the IRS. It is governed by a Board of Directors, which sets policy, develops strategies and plans of action, provides guidance and support to the chapters, and raises funds to support the organization's work. The chapters provide a structure for membership participation.