home

Death Penalty Voted Down by New York Assembly

By Jeralyn, Section Death Penalty
Posted on Tue Apr 12, 2005 at 09:56:08 AM EST
Tags: (all tags)
Share This: Digg! StumbleUpon del.icio.us reddit reddit

Update: Three Cheers for New York Assemblypersons!

The New York State Assembly Codes Committee today defeated a bill to reinstate New York’s death penalty. The vote comes after five full days of public testimony that the death penalty is riddled with flaws and wastes millions of dollars. The Assembly’s report of the hearing was released last week, adding to a growing wave of voices questioning the death penalty across the country.

“New York is not alone. There is a growing consensus in this country
that as a matter of policy, the death penalty is an expensive failure,” said Shari Silberstein, Co-Director of the Quixote Center, a national faith-based organization working for a moratorium on executions while questions of fairness are studied and addressed.

**********
Original Post: 4/11/05

There will be a historic vote in the New York Assembly tomorrow on whether the state's death penalty should be reinstated.

New York's death penalty was declared unconstitutional last year. Tuesday, the 18-member Assembly Codes Committee will vote on a "quick fix." A current head count by various justice organizations shows that the "fix" likely will be deleted, effectively killing New York's death penalty for the remainder of this legislative session.

Network for Justice provides the reasons why the bill should be defeated:

  • The law has been applied unfairly,
  • Innocent people have been sentenced to death,
  • It codifies violence and vengeance as instruments of public policy.
  • Since 1995, at least $200 million has been wasted on capital punishment that could have been invested in crime prevention, law enforcement, and victims' assistance.

The death penalty does not deter others from committing violent crimes nor does it bring closure to victims. It is ineffective and unjust, both discriminatory and wasteful of resources that should be used for crime prevention and victims' services. This issue is critical in determining fair and equal justice for all New York.

The full report is available here. Your help is still needed. Here's what you can do:

  • If you are in the Albany area: The Codes Committee session is open to the public in room 342 of the Capitol Building in Albany beginning at 11 am. Please attend to show your support for the Committee&#