[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----CONNECTICUT

[Rick Halperin]

April 3



CONNECTICUT:

CONNECTICUT SENATE NEAR CRUCIAL VOTE ON BILL TO REPEAL THE DEATH PENALTY


State Poised to Become Fifth State in 5 Years to Abolish Capital Punishment


As early as tomorrow, the Connecticut Senate is expected to vote on a bill to 
repeal the state’s death penalty and replace it with life without parole. If 
signed into law, Connecticut would become the fifth state in five years to 
abandon capital punishment. The bill appears likely to pass the Connecticut 
House of Representatives and Governor Dannel Malloy has pledged to sign the 
bill into law.

“The upcoming Connecticut vote is in line with a clear trend away from the use 
of capital punishment across the country. As significant concerns about 
executing the innocent, the high cost of the death penalty and its unfair 
application continue to grow, more states are turning to alternative 
punishments,” said Richard Dieter, Executive Director of the Death Penalty 
Information Center.

For key facts on the death penalty nationwide and quotes from Connecticut 
experts in law enforcement, policymakers and victims’ families, see “Death 
Penalty At A Glance” Murder victims’ families and friends are among the 
strongest supporters of the repeal. A letter signed by 179 Connecticut murder 
victims’ families stated, “Our direct experiences with the criminal justice 
system and struggling with grief have led us all to the same conclusion: 
Connecticut’s death penalty fails victims’ families. ... In Connecticut, the 
death penalty is a false promise that goes unfulfilled, leaving victims’ 
families frustrated and angry after years of fighting the legal system. And as 
the state hangs onto this broken system, it wastes millions of dollars that 
could go toward much needed victims’ services.”

Connecticut’s Office of Fiscal Analysis estimated that the state pays $5 
million a year for a death penalty system that has largely been in disuse. The 
Office estimated that repealing the death penalty will immediately save the 
state $850,000 each year for the next 2 fiscal years, and that savings 
eventually would grow to $5 million a year. Since 1976, the state has carried 
out only 1 execution. In 2005, Michael Ross was executed by lethal injection 
after giving up his appeals. Since 1976, 15 death sentences have been handed 
down by Connecticut juries. The death penalty repeal bill is prospective and 
will not affect the sentences of the 11 inmates currently on the state’s death 
row.

A repeal of the death penalty in Connecticut would be in line with a broader 
trend away from the death penalty around the country:

•New death sentences dropped to 78 in 2011, representing a dramatic 75% decline 
since 1996, when 315 individuals were sentenced to death. It was the 1st time 
since 1976 that the country produced fewer than 100 death sentences in a single 
year. Executions have also steadily decreased nationwide, with 43 in 2011 and 
46 in 2010, representing a 56% decline since 1999, when there were 98.

•In recent years, Illinois, New Mexico and New Jersey voted to abolish the 
death penalty. New York’s death penalty law was declared unconstitutional in 
2004, and the legislature has repeatedly rejected attempts to reinstate capital 
punishment. Other state legislatures are considering bills to abolish the death 
penalty.

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The Death Penalty Information Center (www.deathpenaltyinfo.org) is a non-profit 
organization serving the media and the public with analysis and information on 
issues concerning capital punishment. DPIC was founded in 1990 and prepares 
in-depth reports, issues press releases, conducts briefings for the media, and 
serves as a resource to those working on this issue.

(source: dupontcirclecommunications.com)