The Day Urges End To Death Penalty

From the Editorial Board of The New London Day:

Once again we call upon the General Assembly to approve and Gov. Dannel P. Malloy to sign legislation abolishing the death penalty in Connecticut.

There is no evidence to back claims that the existence of a death penalty reduces murders. The 10 highest states in per capita murders all have the death penalty. Conversely, of the 10 states with the lowest murder rates, six prohibit capital punishment.

Death penalty opponents also argue that taxpayers don’t want to pay to support killers in prison. But the reality is that the long appeals process is more expensive than life imprisonment. An analysis of death penalty cases in Texas found the average cost from trial to execution to be $2.3 million. A recent Connecticut Office of Fiscal Analysis review concluded the state would save $4 million annually in defense, prosecution and court costs due to a repeal of the death penalty.

Eliminating deterrence and savings leaves revenge as the only argument for executing murderers. Vengeance as public policy demeans us as a society, lowering the state to the level of the killer rather than taking the higher moral road.

The United States is consistently among the top five countries in the number of executions, joining China, Iran, North Korea, and Yemen. That is hardly proud company to keep when it comes to respecting human rights.

Conversely Europe and Central Asia are practically death penalty-free zones, as are the Americas, with the exception of the United States. Connecticut should join the 14 other states that prohibit executions.

While family members of murder victims may seek satisfaction in the ultimate retribution, in reality pursuit of a death sentence only prolongs the legal process and the associated anguish. In capital cases appeals can drag on for years, even decades. Since a 1976 U.S. Supreme Court decision reinstated executions, Connecticut has put to death one person, serial killer Michael Ross in 2005. The state executed Mr. Ross only after he refused to keep appealing.

Executions preclude any opportunity to correct an injustice. Courts and juries make mistakes. Death sentences are disproportionately imposed against minority defendants.

Connecticut appeared close to repealing the death penalty a year ago. The effort stalled, however, when two local state senators, who appeared ready to back repeal, reversed course.

Sen. Edith Prague, D-Columbia, and Sen. Andrew Maynard, D-Stonington, withdrew their support after meeting with Dr. William Petit, whose wife and two daughters were murdered in their Cheshire home in 2007. At that time one defendant, Steven Hayes, had already been convicted and sentenced to death for the murders. In the year since the second defendant, Joshua Komisajevsky, has also been tried, convicted and sentenced to death.

A year ago, both Sens. Prague and Maynard said they could not vote to repeal the death penalty law while the trials in the Cheshire murders continued, calling it unfair to Dr. Petit. The logic of their positions eluded us then and still does. It would seem a person is either for the death penalty or against it and timing or circumstances should not alter such a core conviction.

In any event, Sen. Maynard indicates he is now ready to support repeal, while Sen. Prague continues to ruminate.

A bill now before the legislature calls for outlawing executions prospectively, meaning those already sentenced to die would remain on death row. In reality, it would end all executions. No judge will approve an execution once such a law passes. We would prefer that lawmakers and Gov. Malloy abandon that pretense, but if that is the political fig leaf they feel they need, so be it.

Repeal the death penalty.