“Where We Stand,” Dec. 10th, 2020

Every day, the Commissary Club community engages in important conversations about the issues that matter most to us. Each week, we’ll highlight our community members’ voices as they respond to issues surrounding criminal justice, prison reform, reentry, and more, across the internet.

Trump Administration Executions

Donald Trump has authorized five federal executions during his final days in office, according to a Blavity News report.

One of the executions is that of Brandon Bernard, who was sentenced to death on accomplice charges when he was only 18 years old. He was tried in front of an overwhelmingly white jury and his lawyer didn’t make an opening statement. Another is that of Lisa Montgomery, who is set to be the first woman executed by the Justice Department in nearly 70 years.

According to a report from Slate, every lame-duck administration since 1989 has halted the death penalty during the transition of power. Of course, this news comes as Trump attempts to use the powers of the presidency to grant pardons to his family and members of his administration.

Friends of Commissary Club have expressed their support for the five people set to lose their lives in the coming weeks and the decry the horrific actions of Trump and Attorney General William Barr.

What are your thoughts on this issue? How can Commissary Club work to address it? Join the conversation at www.commissary.club, the exclusive social network for people with criminal records and follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. We can’t wait to hear from you.