Take action! Call or email your District Attorney.

Tell him or her that your county would be better served by replacing the death penalty. 

We urge you to take action today and tell your District Attorney how you feel about the death penalty in your county. If your District Attorney continues to pursue death sentences, urge him or her to stop today and instead seek permanent imprisonment. If your DA has chosen not to seek the death penalty, or has used it very infrequently, write him or her today to express your appreciation and encourage him or her to speak with other DAs about alternatives. 

Not sure how your DA is doing? View our interactive map to see how your county fares.

Tell your District Attorney:

• I'm asking you to stop seeking death sentences in our county. With more than 700 people on death row, the death penalty system will cost the state $1 billion over the next five years. If we replace the death penalty, resources could be shifted to schools or local police who lack the basic resources needed to solve murders.
• A growing number of states are choosing permanent imprisonment over the death penalty. In 2009, the number of new death sentences nationwide reached the lowest level since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976.
• A shift to permanent imprisonment would mean significant savings in a time of fiscal crisis, would eliminate the risk of executing the innocent, and would lead to more consistent policies across all California counties.
• Permanent imprisonment ensures swift and certain punishment for those who commit serious crimes: every person sentenced to permanent imprisonment will die in prison or has died in prison.

Use one of two sample letters:

If your DA seeks the death penalty more.
If your DA seeks the death penalty less.