New Mexico Repeals Death Penalty
Great news today, as New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson signed a bill repealing the death penalty in New Mexico. This move makes New Mexico the 15th state to outlaw capital punishment.
I also take as a good sign the fact that his office solicited public input:
In preparing for his decision, the governor solicited input over the weekend from state residents. According to his office, he got more than 9,000 responses by e-mail and in person.
“In a society which values individual life and liberty above all else, where justice and not vengeance is the singular guiding principle of our system of criminal law, the potential for wrongful conviction and, God forbid, execution of an innocent person stands as anathema to our very sensibilities as human beings,” Richardson said in prepared remarks. “That is why I’m signing this bill into law.”
He may have had to wait until it was politically safe to do so, but I commend Gov. Richardson for his decision.
More good news comes out of Nebraska, where a bill to authorize lethal injections has stalled in committee. Currently, Nebraska has the death penalty but no legal way to carry it out — their method of using the electric chair was stuck down by the Nebraska Supreme Court. So, as long as their legislature does not approve a method of carrying out the death penalty, they are effectively the 16th state without a death penalty.
You can learn more about the fight to eliminate the death penalty around the world at Death Watch International.
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