Jon Blanchette

The death penalty costs tax payers more money and it has been statistically proven not to be a more effective deterrent against crime. That should be enough to be against this reactionary legislation. But additionally, the death penalty is cruel, because there is no "clean death". It's always messy and barbaric. It is also final - how many times have we seen someone exonerated after spending years in jail because new testimony or evidence comes to light? Exoneration is no consolation to the dead. And it will inevitably be disproportionately applied to the poor, to minorities, and to the mentally disabled. This bill is just the latest effort by the Republican-lead state legislature to give us more circus in lieu of any bread for working people.