The movement to abolish the death penalty in the United States has gained significant momentum in recent years, fueled by growing awareness of the system’s flaws, injustices, and moral dilemmas. Across the country, organizations and coalitions are working tirelessly to challenge capital punishment, using education, grassroots activism, and political advocacy to push for systemic reform.

Three key organizations at the forefront of this effort are Death Penalty Focus (DPF), Conservatives Concerned About the Death Penalty (CCATDP), and Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty (FADP). Each contributes in unique ways to the ongoing fight against the death penalty, combining national influence with local action to protect the most vulnerable and hold the system accountable.

For ongoing coverage and updates on these efforts, visit our death penalty category.

Death Penalty Focus (DPF): National Leadership for Abolition

Founded as a national nonprofit committed to ending the death penalty, Death Penalty Focus takes a comprehensive approach to abolition. Its work spans public education, political advocacy, grassroots organizing, and media outreach, with the goal of informing the public and building broad-based coalitions.

Core Principles and Activities

Abolitionist Stance: DPF views capital punishment as both discriminatory and fiscally inefficient. The organization emphasizes that understanding the systemic flaws of the death penalty is essential to moving the U.S. closer to abolition.
Education and Media Outreach: DPF produces educational materials, including a monthly newsletter, and provides speakers for schools, community groups, and faith organizations. These programs highlight key issues such as racial bias, wrongful convictions, and the high risk of executing innocent people.
Grassroots Mobilization: The organization actively engages supporters to take meaningful action. This includes signing petitions, attending vigils, advocating for or against death-penalty legislation, and raising awareness in their communities.
Campaigns and Advocacy: DPF has led numerous high-profile campaigns, including protests against federal executions and efforts to pass ballot initiatives, such as California’s vote to dismantle death row. In 2023, President Mike Farrell praised California’s decision as a major victory for abolitionists.

Through this multi-pronged approach, DPF demonstrates how education, advocacy, and coalition-building can create real momentum toward ending capital punishment nationwide.

Conservatives Concerned About the Death Penalty (CCATDP): Bridging Ideology and Reform

CCATDP, a project of Equal Justice USA, is a national network mobilizing conservative voices against the death penalty. Since its launch in 2013, the group has grown into a powerful force in states traditionally considered strongholds of capital punishment.

Principles and Achievements

Fiscal and Ethical Arguments: CCATDP appeals to conservative principles, arguing that the death penalty is fiscally inefficient, risks executing innocent people, and is inconsistent with pro-life values. The organization questions whether the government should hold the ultimate power to take a citizen’s life.
Political Mobilization: The group encourages Republican lawmakers and conservative constituents to sponsor repeal legislation. Successes include campaigns in states such as Ohio, Wyoming, and Utah.
Public Education: CCATDP challenges the notion that rising execution rates equate to public support, noting historically low rates of new death sentences even in conservative regions.

By reframing the death penalty debate in terms of small government, fiscal responsibility, and life ethics, CCATDP engages audiences who might otherwise be resistant to traditional abolitionist messaging.

Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty (FADP): Local Action with National Impact

Florida remains one of the country’s most active execution states, with a troubling number of death-row exonerations. FADP operates as a grassroots organization advocating for abolition within the state, emphasizing both direct action and systemic accountability.

Key Initiatives

Vigils and Petitions: FADP frequently organizes protests, vigils, and public campaigns around scheduled executions. In July and August 2025, the group delivered thousands of petition signatures to Governor DeSantis’s office, urging halts to upcoming executions.
Highlighting Systemic Flaws: Florida’s high number of exonerations underscores the grave risk of irreversible error. FADP emphasizes that legal changes allowing non-unanimous jury recommendations further amplify the potential for injustice.
Coalition Building: The group works closely with other organizations, including faith leaders and national advocacy networks, to amplify the abolitionist message.
Public Awareness: FADP’s campaigns focus on changing the narrative around the death penalty, highlighting both the moral and practical consequences of executions and advocating for alternatives that protect human life.

FADP’s work illustrates the critical role of local organizations in holding state governments accountable and ensuring that national advocacy translates into concrete, on-the-ground impact.

Why the Fight Matters

Across the United States, the death penalty continues to generate controversy and suffering. Despite declining numbers of death sentences nationally, executions persist in states like Florida, Texas, and Oklahoma, often with alarming racial and procedural disparities. Organizations like DPF, CCATDP, and FADP work tirelessly to educate the public, advocate for legislative reform, and mobilize grassroots support to prevent irreversible injustices.

The convergence of national leadership, ideological outreach, and local activism demonstrates that abolition is not only possible—it is already underway. By combining education, political action, and coalition-building, these organizations offer a roadmap for dismantling the death penalty in a way that protects the most vulnerable, safeguards justice, and restores public trust in the system.

Take Action

You can support the fight against the death penalty by:

Learning more about abolitionist efforts on our death penalty category.
Participating in grassroots campaigns through petitions, vigils, or volunteer opportunities with local organizations like FADP.
Educating your community about the risks, costs, and moral implications of capital punishment.
Amplifying voices of conscience, including conservative and faith-based leaders who oppose executions.

Every effort counts. The collective action of informed citizens can help ensure that justice is fair, humane, and consistent with the values of a modern, equitable society.

Florida Prepares to Execute David Pittman — A Legal and Moral Crisis

In less than two weeks, on Wednesday, September 17, at 6 p.m. ET, the State of Florida plans to execute David Pittman, a man with an intellectual disability. What makes this case especially alarming is that executing individuals with intellectual disabilities is prohibited by law. The U.S. Supreme Court has made clear that such executions violate the Eighth Amendment, yet Florida is moving forward, prioritizing procedural technicalities over justice and human life.

David Pittman is undeniably a person with intellectual disability. Before the age of 18, his IQ was tested at 70 and 71. He was placed in special education, had documented brain damage, and medical evaluations have consistently reaffirmed his condition. Even the state and courts do not dispute these facts. Instead, they argue that claims regarding his disability were not filed within certain procedural deadlines, and therefore his execution should proceed. This is the legal landscape David faces — a rigid procedural system ignoring the foundational protections that are meant to safeguard vulnerable individuals.

For more information on the broader fight against the death penalty, visit our death penalty category.

What You Can Do

David Pittman’s life depends on immediate public action. There are several ways to make your voice heard:

Sign the petition urging Governor DeSantis to halt David’s execution.
Write a personal letter to the governor sharing why this execution is morally and legally indefensible.
Attend statewide vigils and protests on September 17 to stand against this execution.
Share David’s story widely to raise awareness about the human cost of Florida’s aggressive death penalty practices.

Cycles of Violence: The Story of David Pittman

David’s life is marked by extreme adversity and systemic neglect. He struggled academically, with grades rarely rising above D’s and F’s. Poverty and a dysfunctional family environment meant he had little access to the psychiatric care he needed, which was quickly discontinued due to financial constraints.

From an early age, David endured horrific abuse. His mother admitted to beating him “every day, every other day” using belts, broom handles, and even Hot Wheels tracks. Testimony revealed that she sometimes “beat the shit out of him.” At just six years old, David was knocked unconscious while attempting to siphon gasoline. He was also subjected to severe neglect, including an instance where he was forced to sit on a kitchen bench for seven straight days as punishment for spilling a can of stain.

David’s trauma extended beyond physical abuse. Expert testimony revealed that he suffered repeated sexual abuse as a child — at the hands of a babysitter, neighborhood children, and the owner of the gas station where he later worked. As a teenager, David turned to huffing gasoline and using drugs, further exacerbating the brain damage and psychological trauma from years of abuse.

Expert Testimony: Redemption Is Possible

Neuropsychologist Dr. Henry Dee testified that David’s family history of mental illness, combined with extreme abuse and trauma, left him with significant but manageable psychological conditions. Dr. Dee emphasized that David is not beyond redemption. He could safely serve the remainder of his natural life in prison under appropriate supervision, with access to medication and counseling.

Despite this, Florida’s execution schedule has left virtually no room for careful review. The state has already carried out more executions in 2025 than in any other year in modern history, underscoring a reckless pace that magnifies the risk of irreversible injustice.

Why This Matters

Executing David Pittman would not only be a legal violation but a profound moral failure. It would place Florida among the few jurisdictions deliberately ignoring protections that are well established by law. Beyond the individual tragedy, it reflects a larger pattern of systemic violence and disregard for vulnerable populations within the state’s justice system.

David’s case also highlights the need for national attention to the death penalty and how it intersects with intellectual disability, poverty, and trauma. This is not just about one life; it is about whether justice will recognize humanity over procedure.

Upcoming Risks and Broader Context

The urgency extends beyond David Pittman. Victor Jones is also scheduled for execution in Florida on September 30. Each scheduled execution in the state underlines the critical importance of public engagement and advocacy to prevent preventable, legally indefensible deaths.

Final Thought

David Pittman’s story is a stark reminder of the consequences of a justice system that prioritizes procedure over morality, and expediency over life. He is a man whose intellectual disability is undisputed, whose trauma and abuse are well documented, and whose continued survival depends on immediate public intervention.

We cannot allow David Pittman to become another casualty of Florida’s death penalty machine. The time to act is now — sign the petition, write to Governor DeSantis, attend vigils, and share his story. Life is precious, and the law is supposed to protect the most vulnerable among us, not silence them.

For ongoing coverage and action on the death penalty and wrongful executions, visit our death penalty category.