Virginians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty
Ending the Death Penalty through Education, Organizing & Advocacy
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
The death penalty is an outdated, ineffective, and expensive public policy that is prone to human error. Since 1976 there has been one death row exoneration for every nine executions carried out in the United States.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Public Policy
VADP accomplished its go to abolition the death penalty in Virginia in 2021. The organization is now focused on defending that victory in the Virginia legislature until November 2023. VADP may go out of business at that point if we determine that abolition is secure for the foreseeable future.
Public Education
VADP educates people in the Commonwealth about the major problems in our existing death penalty system: 1. InnocenceSince the U.S. Supreme Court allowed the death penalty to resume, there have been 153 people exonerated from death row. These men and women were sentenced to death, but later vindicated before their execution was carried out. In the same time frame, there have been approximately 1,400 executions. That is a nearly an 11% rate of error, far too high for the ultimate punishment. 2. ArbitrarinessRace and geography play a huge role in the imposition of capital punishment. In Virginia a person is more than three times as likely to be sentenced to death when the victim is white vs. when the victim is black. In addition, the location of a homicide matters greatly. 65% of localities in Virginia have not had an execution since 1976. Just three of the 133 political jurisdictions account for 23% of all of the state's executions -- Prince William, Chesterfield & Virginia Beach. 3. CostNo cost study of the death penalty has ever been done in Virginia. Other states that have conducted studies have found that that a system with death as the maximum penalty costs significantly more than a system in which life imprisonment is the maximum penalty.
Community Outreach
VADP mobilizes death penalty opponents at regional meetings in northern Virginia, Charlottesville, Richmond, Norfolk, and Roanoke. These gatherings take place twice a year, in the spring and fall. In addition, the VADP Executive Director is meeting with conservatives around the Commonwealth to discuss their views on capital punishment. Conservatives around the country and in Virginia are questioning the effectiveness of the death penalty as public policy. For example, Mark Earley -- a Republican Attorney General who oversaw 36 executions in Virginia -- has declared his opposition to the death penalty.
Where we work
External reviews
Photos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of votes for or against specific policies
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
In 2021 the Virginia General Assembly voted to abolish capital punishment. In 2022 the Virginia General Assembly defeated a bill to reinstate the death penalty for killing a law enforcement officer.
Number of meetings with policymakers or candidates
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Met with 8 of the 17 legislators newly elected to the House of Delegates in November 2021. Our goal was to determine their position on resinstatment of the death penalty.
Number of individuals attending coalition meetings
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
VADP continues to convene our death penalty coaliton partners -- the Virginia Catholic Conference, Virginia ACLU, the Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy, and Mental Health America Virginia.
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
To begin a serious debate in the Virginia General Assembly about abolition of capital punishment in 2020.\n\nIn recent year, VADP has organized public support for reform measures recommended by a 2013 American Bar Association Virginia Death Penalty Assessment Team that included judges, prosecutors, and defense attorneys. \n\nOur current two priorities are (1) legislation that would ban the execution of people with severe mental illness and (2) legislation to abolish capital punishment in Virginia.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
1. Mobilize death penalty opponents regional gatherings in northern Virginia, Charlottesville, Richmond, Norfolk, and Roanoke. These regional gatherings take place twice a year – in the spring and fall.\r\n\r\n2. Educate and organize political conservatives on capital punishment. Across the country conservatives are increasingly questioning the effectiveness of the death penalty as public policy. For example, Mark Earley – a Republican Attorney General who oversaw 36 executions in Virginia – has declared his opposition to the death penalty.\r\n\r\n3. VADP is working with the Virginia Catholic Conference, ACLU of Virginia, and the National Alliance on Mental Illness of Virginia to pass legislation that prohibits the execution of people with serious mental illness.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
1. Strong board and staff leadership.\r\n2. Effective technology tools for organizing and fundraising.\r\n3. A broad base of individual donors who provide the bulk of VADP funds.\r\n4. Politically diverse allies.\r\n5. A national network of abolition organizations that provides helpful assistance with messaging and strategy.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
VADP and its allies have had dramatic success in preventing death sentences in our criminal justice system. Fewer prosecutors are seeking capital murder charges and juries are increasingly reluctant to issue a death sentence. No one has been sentenced to death in Virginia in over six years!\n\nIn the past 10-12 years we have successfully blocked efforts to expand the scope of Virginia's death penalty statute.\n\nIn January 2019 the state Senate voted in favor of a bill to exempt people with severe mental illness from capital punishment. It was the first time that either chamber of the Virginia General Assembly had ever voted to limit the death penalty in any way. It was, however, later defeated in the House of Delegates and did not become law.
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
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Virginians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty
Board of directorsas of 02/24/2023
Rob Poggenklass
Interim Director, Justice Forward Virginia
Term: 2023 - 2022
Christian Braunlich
President, Thomas Jefferson Institute for Public Policy
Term: 2018 - 2024
Gerald Zerkin
Attorney
Christian Braunlich
Thomas Jefferson Institute for Public Policy
Nancy Ritter
Community Volunteer
Todd Peppers
Professor of Public Affairs at Roanoke College
Carissa Phillips
Software Developer
Jimmy Culpepper
Retired safety and occupational health professional
Rob Poggenklass
Attorney
John Tucker
Catholic deacon, retired attorney
Kent Willis
Former Executive Director of the ACLU of Virginia
Steve Northup
Retired attorney
Vivian Hernandez
Attorney
Shameka Harris
Attorney
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? No
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Transgender Identity
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
We do not display disability information for organizations with fewer than 15 staff.