American Christians are largely responsible for the continued existence of the death penalty in their country, according to Shane Claiborne’s book Executing Grace: How the Death Penalty Killed Jesus and Why It’s Killing Us. Claiborne and others, including Cynthia Vaughn, who forgave her father on death row for murdering her mother; Stacy Rector, director of Tennesseans for Alternatives to the Death Penalty; and Jeannie Alexander, director of No Exceptions Prison Collective, appeared on the Tokens Show this February. Their conversation centered on exposing the illogicality of a system that kills those who kill to show that it’s wrong to kill, making space for forgiveness and God’s redemption, and promoting alternatives to the death penalty.

For decades now, Plough has partnered with members of Murder Victims’ Families for Reconciliation to bring the voices of victims’ families into the public conversation. MVFR advocates for ending the death penalty and promotes restorative justice as the best way to heal the damage caused by violence and to create a safer, more compassionate, and more just society.

Cynthia Vaughn forgave her father on death row for murdering her mother. Photograph by Linda Bailey, INSP News Service