On June 22, Kansas will turn 55. No it doesn’t mean Kansas can take money out of a retirement plan or get senior citizen discounts. Rather, we celebrate 55 years without an execution conducted in the name of the people of Kansas! Kansas has long had a conflicted history regarding the death penalty. That history set a foundation for the fifty five year milestone. A … [Read more...] about Kansas Reaches 55 Year Milestone: No Executions!
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Colorado is # 22!
Governor Jared Polis on March 23, 2020, signed the legislation which ended the Colorado death penalty. They became the twenty-second abolitionist state overall and the tenth to end the death penalty since 2007. credit: Death Penalty Information Center A failed policy Republican Senator Jack Tate used to support the death penalty. This year he signed on … [Read more...] about Colorado is # 22!
The Death Penalty’s Decline Continues!
Across the United States, the death penalty continues to fall out of favor with Americans in general and with juries. A majority of Americans choose life! Since 1985 the Gallup poll has asked a question about whether the death penalty or life in prison without parole “is the better penalty for murder”. For the first time ever, a majority of Americans, 60%, chose life in … [Read more...] about The Death Penalty’s Decline Continues!
Kansans Making a Difference
Just 60 days into his tenure as governor of Kansas, John Carlin was forced to confront the death penalty head-on. While he had promised not to oppose its reinstatement during his campaign, he admitted that, like many, he hadn't thought very deeply about the death penalty at that point. When freshly passed legislation authorizing executions arrived on his desk in early … [Read more...] about Kansans Making a Difference
Murder: It doesn’t have to end with another death
In 1994 when the Legislature was debating the reinstatement of the Kansas death penalty, proponents kept saying the tragedy of murder had to lead to another death via execution. Murder victim family member Bill Lucero visited legislators and told them that it did not need to end that way. He told the House Federal and State Affairs Committee in January 1994 ”The death … [Read more...] about Murder: It doesn’t have to end with another death