- Oregon is one of 27 states in America that allows for the death penalty.
- In her final month in office, Gov. Kate Brown commuted the sentences of all 17 inmates on death row.
In her final month in office, Oregon Gov. Kate Brown commuted the sentences of all of the state's 17 death row prisoners to life in prison without the chance of parole.
In a statement published through her office on Tuesday, Brown was highly critical of capital punishment, saying the death penalty "cannot be and never has been administered fairly and equitably."
"Since taking office in 2015, I have continued Oregon's moratorium on executions because the death penalty is both dysfunctional and immoral," she said in the statement. "Today I am commuting Oregon's death row so that we will no longer have anyone serving a sentence of death and facing execution in this state."
Brown added that the commutation "is not based on any rehabilitative efforts by the individuals on death row" but instead "reflects the recognition that the death penalty is immoral."
"I also recognize the pain and uncertainty victims experience as they wait for decades while individuals sit on death row – especially in states with moratoriums on executions – without resolution," she continued. "My hope is that this commutation will bring us a significant step closer to finality in these cases."
The order will take effect on Wednesday.
Oregon is one of 27 states in America that allows for the death penalty. However, the state has not executed a prisoner since 1997, according to the Death Penalty Information Center.
Brown, a Democrat, took office in 2015. She will be succeeded in January by Democrat Tina Kotek. She is the seventh US governor in the past 50 years to commute all death sentences in a state.