Our History

1988

KCADP is established

KCADP spent the late 70’s and 80’s taking shape to combat the growing appetite for execution in Kentucky and nationwide. KCADP was officially founded in 1988 by Father Patrick Delahanty and his co-founder.

1990

KCADP leads legislative reform to exempt mentally disabled persons from the death penalty.

In 1976, Kentucky established the death penalty as punishment for a number of capital offenses. That law was amended in 1990 to exclude certain mentally disabled persons from execution.

1998

Kentucky passes the Kentucky Racial Justice Act

In summary, the Kentucky Racial Justice Act states that no person shall be sentenced to death in cases in which race is a contributing factor. Kentucky passed the bill on March 30th, 1998, making it the first state to pass the Racial Justice Act.

2010

All Kentucky executions placed on hold

In 2010, Judge Phillip Shepherd expressed concern about the constitutionality of the amount of pain caused by the state’s lethal injection procedures. This, paired with his concerns regarding the mental stability of death row inmates, led him to issue a ruling that placed an injunction on executions. That ruling is still in place.

2022

House Bill 269 passes

According to Equal Justice Initiative, “House Bill 269 provides that a person who has active symptoms and a documented diagnosis of schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, bipolar disorder, and/or delusional disorder at the time of the offense shall not be subject to execution.”

Today

KCADP’s supporter base continues to grow every day. However, we still have a long way to go before reaching our goal. With continued support, we expect to make major progress towards abolishing the death penalty in Kentucky forever. Join our movement today and help us ensure a bright, fair future for all Kentuckians.

Who We Are

OUR StaFF AND BOARD

Russell Allen

Russell has organized under multiple disciplines most recently as a union organizer with SEIU before coming to KCADP. In addition to that Russell is the co-founder of Take Back Cheapside, a grassroots movement for the removal of confederate monuments.

Board