Save Jeff Wood
Advocacy Resources
Welcome to the Save Jeff Wood Campaign's Advocacy Page. Here, you will find resources designed to help you make your voice heard in the fight for justice. We’ve crafted a series of pre-written letters and phone scripts that you can use to contact key state officials, including legislators and the Governor’s office, to demand action in the case of Jeff Wood and address the flaws in Texas’ Law of Parties and Death Penalty. These letters and scripts are designed to be impactful, to convey the urgency of Jeff’s case, and to demand accountability from those in power. Whether you are sending a letter or making a phone call, your voice matters—and together, we can push for justice and a fairer system for all. Please take a moment to review these materials, and consider taking action today.
Letter Template 1
In Support of House Bill 5058
Subject: Support for HB 5058 – Correcting the Misuse of the Law of Parties
Dear [Representative/Senator/Governor/etc.],
I am writing today in strong support of House Bill 5058, a bill that takes a crucial step toward restoring fairness and precision within our justice system.
As it stands, Texas’s Law of Parties allows individuals to be sentenced to death for crimes they did not directly commit—even if they were not present at the scene or had no intent to cause harm. This law blurs the lines of responsibility and creates the possibility of punishing people not for what they did, but for what someone else did in their presence—or sometimes without their knowledge.
HB 5058 corrects this by establishing clearer standards. It ensures that only major participants in a conspiracy—those who act with reckless indifference to human life—can be held accountable for capital crimes. This distinction is not a loophole or a softening of justice; it is the very essence of it.
Justice must be measured. It must reflect each individual's actions, intent, and level of participation. When the system fails to make these distinctions, we risk executing people who did not kill, intend to kill, or even anticipate violence.
In addition, HB 5058 enhances the authority of the Board of Pardons and Paroles to reexamine cases where the application of the Law of Parties may have resulted in unjust outcomes. This safeguard is vital in a system where irreversible punishment is on the table.
I urge you to support HB 5058—not only as a policy reform but as a statement that Texas does not accept guilt by association as grounds for the most extreme form of punishment. True justice must be rooted in individual accountability, not broad assumptions.
Thank you for your time and dedication to improving our justice system.
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
[Your City/Zip Code]
[Optional: Email or Phone Number]
📞 Urgent Phone Script: HB 5058
Hello, my name is [Your Name], and I’m calling to strongly urge you to support House Bill 5058.
Texas is sentencing people to death—not for pulling a trigger, but for simply being nearby or loosely involved. The Law of Parties is deeply flawed and dangerously broad.
HB 5058 would ensure that only those who were major participants and showed reckless disregard for human life can be held accountable at the highest level. This is not a soft approach—it’s a just and necessary one.
If we don’t pass HB 5058, more lives like Jeff Wood’s will hang in the balance for crimes they didn’t commit.
Please do what’s right. Support HB 5058 and stop this miscarriage of justice.
Thank you.
Letter Template 2
In Support of House Bill 2649
Subject: Support for HB 2649 – Justice Should Be Based on Actions, Not Assumptions
Dear [Representative/Senator/Governor/etc.],
I’m writing today not just as an advocate, but as someone who deeply values truth, fairness, and the integrity of our justice system.
House Bill 2649 seeks to address one of the most troubling aspects of our current laws—the way we assign responsibility in capital cases. Under the Law of Parties, people who neither committed nor intended a violent act can still be sentenced to death, simply for being loosely associated with a crime.
That’s not justice—it’s guilt by proximity.
HB 2649 brings much-needed clarity to the law by ensuring that only individuals who showed reckless disregard for human life can face the harshest penalties. This is not about lessening consequences for crime—it’s about making sure that the right people are held accountable in the right way.
Imagine facing execution for a crime you didn’t plan, didn’t participate in, and didn’t foresee. It happens more often than most people realize. The death penalty, as it stands in Texas, does not always reflect a person’s actual role in a crime. HB 2649 helps close the gap between what someone did and what they are punished for—something every just legal system should strive for.
By supporting HB 2649, you are helping to ensure that our laws reflect both accountability and humanity—that we are tough on crime, yes, but never blind to the truth.
Let us lead with fairness, not fear. Let us show the rest of the nation that Texas is committed to justice that is principled, measured, and rooted in truth.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
[Your City/Zip Code]
[Optional: Email or Phone Number]
📞 Urgent Phone Script: HB 2649
Hi, this is [Your Name], and I’m calling because House Bill 2649 must be passed.
The Law of Parties allows people to be sentenced to death even when they didn’t kill anyone—or even know it would happen. That’s not justice, that’s legal overreach.
HB 2649 ensures that only those who acted with clear disregard for human life can face the death penalty.
We’re talking about real people—like Jeff Wood, who’s been on death row for over 25 years for a crime he didn’t commit. This bill could help prevent more wrongful convictions and more state-sanctioned injustices.
I urge you to back HB 2649 now—lives depend on it.
Thank you.
Letter Template 3
Jeff Wood's Case
Dear [Representative/Senator/Governor/etc.],
I am writing to you with a heavy heart and a deep sense of urgency regarding the case of Jeff Wood, a man who has been wrongfully convicted and sentenced to death in the state of Texas. Jeff has spent over 25 years on death row for a crime he did not commit. He has lived every day under the shadow of an execution date for a crime he was not involved in—a nightmare that no one should have to endure.
Jeff was convicted under the Law of Parties, a statute that allows individuals to be held responsible for crimes they did not directly commit. In Jeff’s case, he was not even present at the crime scene, and he did not participate in the events that led to the tragic death of another person. Yet, because of this law, Jeff was sentenced to death—his life reduced to a mere casualty of a flawed and overbroad law that fails to distinguish between those who actively commit violent acts and those who, by circumstance or association, are unjustly implicated.
This is not just about Jeff. It is about a system that is broken—a system that punishes people for actions they did not intend, actions they did not commit. Jeff’s story is not unique; it is one of many, and the Law of Parties has led to the wrongful conviction of countless individuals, some of whom have been sentenced to death or spent decades in prison for crimes they did not commit.
I urge you to take immediate action in Jeff Wood’s case. Jeff’s life is hanging in the balance, and there is still time to right this wrong. I am asking you to use your position of influence to call for a review of his case, to advocate for a reexamination of the evidence, and to prevent his execution. Jeff’s wrongful conviction is a reflection of the deep flaws in our justice system, and we cannot allow it to stand.
As you consider Jeff's case, I ask that you reflect on the human cost of this injustice. Imagine the anguish of a mother who has fought tirelessly for decades to free her son. Imagine the burden of a family that must carry the weight of a loved one’s wrongful conviction. Imagine Jeff’s heartache as he spends another year in prison, with the specter of execution looming over him.
This is not a matter of politics or policy—it is a matter of human decency. It is about fairness, justice, and the preservation of human life. Please, I beg you to act now to save Jeff Wood’s life and to prevent Texas from executing an innocent man.
Thank you for your time and attention to this urgent matter. I trust you will stand for justice and fairness in Jeff’s case.
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
[Your Address]
[Your Email Address]
[Your Phone Number]
📞 Phone Script for Jeff Wood
Hello, my name is [Your Name], and I’m calling with serious concerns regarding Jeff Wood on death row in Texas.
Jeff Wood has been incarcerated for over 25 years, convicted under the Law of Parties for a crime he didn’t commit. He’s been on death row for a crime he didn’t plan, didn’t participate in, and had no intent to commit. This is not just a legal failure—it is a moral failure. The Law of Parties has been used to sentence the wrong people, and Jeff Wood is a clear example of an innocent man languishing on death row due to a deeply flawed system.
The state has continued to ignore the facts of his case and the flaws in the law that condemned him.
This is a grave miscarriage of justice that needs immediate action. Jeff Wood should not be executed for a crime he did not commit. The state must take full responsibility for the mistakes made in his conviction and address this injustice. His case must be reexamined, and the truth must be heard.
I am urging you to act quickly—this is not just a matter of policy. This is about human lives and moral accountability. The state cannot continue to play a role in destroying innocent lives. The time for action is now.
Please ensure that Jeff Wood’s case is reopened and reexamined with the seriousness it deserves. It is the state’s responsibility to correct its mistakes. Thank you for your attention to this critical matter.
Letter Template 4
Addressing the Law of Parties
Dear [Representative/Senator/Governor/etc.],
I am writing to you today to address a significant flaw in our criminal justice system—the Law of Parties. This law allows individuals to be convicted and sentenced to severe penalties, including the death penalty, for crimes they did not directly commit and may have had no intention of committing at all.
The Law of Parties allows for someone to be held responsible for a crime based on their association with individuals involved, regardless of their level of participation or intent. Under this law, someone who is present at the scene of a crime or connected to the individuals involved can be charged with the same crime as the person who actually commits the act—even if they played no active role in the violence. This results in injustices, where people are convicted and punished for crimes they did not commit or have no direct involvement in.
The Law of Parties fundamentally undermines the principle of individual responsibility. Justice should be based on intent—on whether someone deliberately and knowingly participated in a crime. However, this law blurs the line between those who actively engage in criminal activity and those who, by circumstance, may be wrongfully swept into a conviction.
One of the most concerning aspects of the Law of Parties is its potential to lead to severe and disproportionate sentences, including the death penalty, for individuals who did not directly contribute to the loss of life or the crime committed. It is not just about legal fairness; it is about human lives. The consequences of this law can be devastating, tearing apart families and devastating communities, all while delivering a punishment that may not fit the crime.
It is time for Texas to rethink the application of the Law of Parties. We must ensure that our legal system holds people accountable for their actions in a manner that is fair, just, and proportionate. No one should face life-altering consequences—let alone the death penalty—for actions they did not directly commit, or for situations where they may have had no intent to cause harm.
I urge you to take immediate steps to reform or repeal the Law of Parties, so that individual responsibility is accurately and fairly assessed. It is time to restore fairness in our legal system and prevent the wrongful conviction of those who are not guilty of committing violent acts. We owe it to the people of Texas to fix this deeply flawed law and to ensure that no one is wrongly punished for the actions of others.
Thank you for your time and for your commitment to a more just and equitable legal system.
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
[Your Address]
[Your Email Address]
[Your Phone Number]
📞 Urging Action on the Law of Parties
Hello, my name is [Your Name], and I’m calling to demand action on the Law of Parties in Texas.
The Law of Parties lets people be sentenced for crimes they didn’t commit, simply because they were associated with someone involved. This law is unjust and reckless—it punishes the innocent and undermines the principle of personal responsibility. It can lead to people being sentenced to death for crimes they didn’t even intend to commit.
I’m urging you to take immediate action to reform or repeal this law. No one should face the death penalty or life in prison for something they didn’t do. Texas needs to fix this broken law and make sure justice actually means fairness.
Closing:
Please do the right thing—reform the Law of Parties now. Thank you.
Letter Template 5
Opposing the Death Penalty
Dear [Representative/Senator/Governor/etc.],
I am writing to you today to urge you to consider the profound moral and practical consequences of maintaining the death penalty in Texas. Our justice system is meant to seek truth, fairness, and accountability—but the death penalty consistently falls short of these ideals, leading to a system that is not only costly and ineffective but one that puts innocent lives at risk.
The evidence is clear: the death penalty does not act as a deterrent to crime. Numerous studies have shown that states with the death penalty do not experience lower crime rates than those without it. In fact, the financial burden of the death penalty is far greater than life imprisonment without parole, draining essential resources that could be better spent on crime prevention, education, and rehabilitation.
But perhaps the most unsettling reality is that the death penalty is irreversible. Once an execution is carried out, there is no way to undo the harm if a mistake has been made. We have seen too many cases of wrongful convictions—where individuals have been sentenced to death only to later be exonerated by new evidence, DNA testing, or witness recantations. In Texas alone, we have seen innocent people sentenced to death and executed. The irreversible nature of this punishment underscores the high stakes involved: once executed, there is no turning back.
The moral question surrounding the death penalty is undeniable. How can we justify taking a life in a system that has the capacity for error? A single wrongful execution is too high a price to pay for a practice that claims to deliver justice but in reality has been shown to fail time and time again. Every life is precious, and the death penalty cannot be justified as a means of securing justice when it risks the lives of the innocent.
I ask you to carefully reflect on the human cost of the death penalty—on the families who suffer as they wait for an execution that may be unjust, on the individuals who are wrongly convicted, and on the broader societal implications of a system that still permits such a final, irreversible punishment. It is time for Texas to join the growing number of states that have abolished the death penalty and move toward a more humane, just, and effective criminal justice system.
I urge you to take a stand for fairness, for the sanctity of life, and for the principles of justice that must guide us all. Abolish the death penalty and ensure that Texas embraces a future of justice, not retribution.
Thank you for your time and your thoughtful consideration of this critical issue.
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
[Your Address]
[Your Email Address]
[Your Phone Number]
📞 Opposing the Death Penalty
Hello, my name is [Your Name], and I’m calling to voice my support for abolishing the death penalty in Texas.
The system is broken. People have been executed despite serious doubts about their guilt. Others, like Jeff Wood, remain on death row under outdated and unjust laws like the Law of Parties.
The death penalty doesn’t deter crime. It costs more than life sentences, and it risks killing innocent people.
Texas can do better. We need a justice system that prioritizes truth, accountability, and rehabilitation—not irreversible punishment.
I urge you to support legislation to end the death penalty in our state.
Thank you.