Eric D. Coleman

Death Penalty Repeal Approved by Judiciary Committee

Sen. Coleman: “The death penalty is immoral, irreversible and extremely expensive”

Senator Eric D. Coleman (D-Hartford), Senate Chairman of the General Assembly’s Judiciary Committee, announced that the committee approved legislation yesterday evening to repeal future imposition of the death penalty in Connecticut, in a 27 to 17 vote.

“The death penalty is immoral, irreversible and inequitably applied across racial, social and economic lines,” said Senator Coleman. “Prosecution of death penalty cases is extremely expensive, and cost the state Division of Public Defender Services $3.4 million last year. That is a great deal of money spent to support a policy that has only been carried out once in the past forty years.”

Senate Bill 1035, An Act Repealing the Death Penalty, would replace the death penalty with a sentence of life imprisonment without the possibility of parole for capital offenses committed on or after the effective date of the act.

“The death penalty plays to our worst instincts of revenge,” said Bishop James E. Curry of the Episcopal Diocese of Connecticut, in testimony supporting the legislation. “Studies show that the imposition of the death penalty is arbitrary, racially biased, biased against the poor. There will always be the possibility that the death penalty will be imposed on an innocent person. By abolishing the death penalty we have an opportunity to affirm and respect our dignity as a society.”

“It is an unsettling fact that in 2010, China, Iran and the United States were among the countries which carried out the most executions. Why should the United States of America, or the state of Connecticut, count itself among such governments?” said Joshua Rubenstein of Amnesty International in prepared testimony. “There is no disguising that the state is involved in premeditated killing. The state is taking to refined, calculated heights what it seeks to condemn—the deliberate taking of human life.”

The legislation now proceeds to the floor of the House to await further action.