declare a national moratorium on the death penalty.

The death penalty is biased, costly, and ineffective as a deterrent to violent crime. It is also unnecessary; there are other alternatives to protecting society from dangerous people. Options such as life in prison with no parole are cheaper and provide the opportunity for correction when errors in conviction have been made. The Innocence Project reports that there have been 273 exonerations thanks to DNA testing alone, 17 of which served time on death row. There are also instances where evidence suggests that innocent people have been executed. Therefore, we urge the Obama Administration to declare an immediate moratorium on the death penalty in the United States.