Take Action Guide and Resource List on the Human Rights and the Death Penalty

If you have 10 minutes...

• Learn the Facts. Read our fact sheet on the death penalty and then test your knowledge with our short quiz in this toolkit.  Check out the organizations on our resource list to learn more about death penalty issues.
• Donate.  Make a donation to a national or international organization that works to end capital punishment.  For ideas, check out the "Death Penalty Resources" list in this toolkit.
• Sign Up for E-mail Alerts.  Sign up for news and action information ont he death penalty from these advocacy grous:
  • Death Penalty Information Center http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/rss-feed
  • The National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty http://www.ncadp.org
  • Amnesty USA http://www.amnestyusa.org/death-penalty

If you have a few hours...

• Investigate Individual Cases.  Learn about current capital punishment cases in the U.S. and around the world.
  • Death Penalty Action http://www.deathpenaltyaction.net/take_actions
• Write a Letter.  Write to your local newspaper on behalf of a particular case or to voice your concern about state and federal use of the death penalty.
• Educate.  Download the lesson plan and PowerPoint in this toolkit and organize an interactive workshop for your local school, community center, or faith community.
• Create a Petition.  Highlight death penalty issues at the state or federal level and get others to sign.
• Contact your Legislators.  Call or write to local legislators and public officials regarding state and federal use of the deathpenalty.  Find your representatives at http://www.congress.org/congressorg.

If you have a month...

• Host a Film Screening.  Visit http://deadlinethemovie.com to purchase "Deadline," a documentary about Illinois Gover George Ryan's decision to grant blanket clemency to 167 death row inmates because of the flaws in the state's capital punishment system.
• Celebrate Human Rights Day.  On December 10th, celebrate the inception of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.  Plan an educational event in your community about the UDHR or organize a demonstration on behalf of victims of human rights violations.  Visit the resource list in this toolkit to find out which local organizations in your area are participating and how you can help.
• Start a Book Club.  Select a death penalty-related book (for example, The Killing State: Capital Punishment in Law, Politics, and Culture by Austin Sarat) and coordinate a discussion among friends, schoolmates, or family members.
• Hold a Fundraiser.  Plan a fundraising event, such as a bake sale, silent auction, or bingo night in your community for an organization that works to end the death penalty.
• Host a Speaker.  Invite a speaker through the Campaign to End the Death Penalty or Witness to Innocence to give a presentation on capital punishment issues to your school, community center, or faith community.
• Organize a Call-In Day.  Voice your opposition to the federal use of the death penalty by calling members of Congress.  Encourage friends and fellow activists to do the same!

If you have a year or more...

• Volunteer Regularly.  Find organizations in your area that advocate for death penalty abolition and ask how you can help.  Go to http://www.volunteermatch.com or the resource list in this toolkit to find organizations to volunteer with.
• Join a Campaign.  Consider how you can influence change in the criminal justice system.  Get involved and volunteer your time with a death penalty abolition campaign.
  • Death Penalty Focus http://www.deathpenalty.org
  • National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty http://www.ncadp.org
  • Amnesty International http://www.amnesty.org