Colorado poised to become 22nd state with no death penalty

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Associated Press


James Anderson, Associated Press
Updated 4:09 pm CST, Wednesday, February 26, 2020

DENVER (AP) — Colorado is set to become the 22nd U.S. state to abolish the death penalty after lawmakers on Wednesday approved a repeal bill that Democratic Gov. Jared Polis has pledged to sign into law.

Passage had been virtually certain with Democrats holding a substantial majority in the House — even with several Democratic lawmakers casting “no" votes for the 36-27 repeal approval vote.

The bill, passed by the Democrat-dominated state Senate in January, would apply to offenses charged starting July 1 and would not affect the fate of the three men on Colorado's death row who face execution by lethal injection. But Polis has suggested he might consider clemency for them if asked.

. . .

Wednesday's vote came after lawmakers spent three days engaging in somber and often emotional death penalty discussions that touched on morality, personal faith, deterrence, discrimination against defendants of color and wrongful convictions.

Read more: https://www.chron.com/news/crime/article/Colorado-lawmakers-approve-death-penalty-repeal-15086784.php

[hlthe2b]

1. I am very pleased and yes, I am fully aware as a Coloradoan, who we have on death row and how much

they may well be deserving of the ultimate "punishment&quot .

[lastlib]

2. Bravo! Every legislator should read Camus' "Reflections On The Guillotine."

(In fact, it should be required reading in every school.)

[gopiscrap]

5. I agree

[safeinOhio]

3. Michigan was the first.

Found out too late they put to death an I innocent man. No take backs.

[Warpy]

4. It was abolished here in NM about 10 years ago

I think there had been on execution since the 60s.

I know who's sitting on death row here, too, and I don't want them let out of prison unless they're in wheelchairs and drooling into their pureed veg is the limit of their ability to act. Meth has added an extra dimension of horror to some of the murders around here.

I hope ending the DP continues to happen in other states, also.

[dalton99a]

7. Kick

[riversedge]

8. slow progess. but good