Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Strong Moral Opposition to the Death Penalty
Dear Supporters,
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s vision of a humane, just society included strong moral opposition to the death penalty. MLK Jr. was absolutely clear that capital punishment is unacceptable. A person of faith, Martin Luther King, Jr. said that “[c]apital punishment is against the better judgment of modern criminology and, above all, against the highest expression of love in the nature of God.”
More than half a century after MLK Jr.’s death, it is clear that MLK Jr.’s take on modern criminology and the death penalty is right. The evidence is clear: the death penalty fails to make us safer, wastes taxpayer resources, and harms communities of color.
His profound statement also rings true on a second point. Whether we share MLK Jr.’s religious worldview or not, it is clear that the death penalty fails to speak to our highest aspirations as a society and our understanding of the force of love in our world.
At Texas Defender Service, we have saved 57 lives from the death penalty since 2018. We also advocate for second chances for incarcerated Texans seeking parole, reuniting them with their families. If we have learned anything from our clients, it is that the fight for justice is, at its core, motivated by love. As our client Ramiro Gonzales, who died in 2024, told us, “I’m on death row, but I still have faith. I still have hope. And I can still love everybody around me.” In the New Year, let us lean into love as we work to build a kinder, more humane society—with liberty and justice for all.
With gratitude,
Burke Butler
Executive Director
Texas Defender Service
