NEW YORK and SALT LAKE CITY, JANUARY 18, 2022 /3BL Media/ - As lawmakers in Utah get ready to take up a historic Republican-led bill seeking to repeal the state’s death penalty, more than 240 business leaders have declared their opposition to capital punishment. They decry it as “irreconcilable with human dignity” and an “ineffective misallocation of public resources” - and have signed a declaration calling for its abolition everywhere.

TheBusiness Leaders Against the Death Penaltycampaign was launched by Virgin founderSir Richard Bransonlast March, and has rallied some of the world’s most influential figures to help end the practice. Regarding the Utah bill, Branson writes:

“Utah has a historic opportunity to do away with a deeply flawed and inhumane form of punishment. By speaking up against the death penalty, business leaders join a broad movement that also includes a growing number of prosecutors and victims’ families. They know first-hand that the death penalty fails to deliver justice. It’s time to end it for good.”

Supporters of the business campaign point to capital punishment’s exorbitant cost in the face of its many failings. This outrage is echoed in the local movement. Utah’s state and local governments have spent approximately $40 million over 20 years on capital cases – and only funded two sentences. Concerned business leaders also highlight its considerable reputational cost. Most Americans now prefer alternative punishments for murder, and the continued use of capital punishment makes the state appear increasingly out of touch with modern values.

This price tag becomes even more unacceptable considering the death penalty’s ineffectiveness – and renders its continued use unjustifiable. As former President of NRG Energy and Park City resident大卫·克雷恩（David Crane）points out:

“没有任何证据来支持死刑使人们更安全的观念。犹他州最近发生的某些令人发指的犯罪见证了这一点。作为一个保守而深厚的道德国，对人类生命的神圣性有着强烈的承诺，犹他州的所有人类现在都有机会领导 - 远离死刑，这是唯一的辩解是报应。”

Since its launch in March 2021, Business Leaders Against the Death Penalty has gained unprecedented support and counts among its supportersSalesforce CEO Marc Benioff, Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg, Bayer CEO Werner Baumann, Unilever CEO Alan Jope和犹他州Jared Smith,cofounder of tech giant Qualtrics.Thefull list of signatories and declaration can be found here. The campaign is being coordinated by the Responsible Business Initiative for Justice, whose founder西莉亚·乌雷特（Celia Ouellette）写信：

“The unprecedented support for abolition in Utah demonstrates the extent to which the tide has turned on the death penalty. States, both red and blue, are increasingly waking up to its glaring flaws, and are choosing to stand on the right side of history. By joining the fight, business leaders are doing the same.”

Notes to editors

For further information, please contact Ben Cumming (Communications Director, Responsible Business Initiative for Justice):

ben@rbij.org
+44 7891551514 / +1 213 370 0222
#BizVsDP
@rbi_justice