To: The Delaware State House and Governor John Carney
Governor Markell -- Delaware House of Representatives Repeal the Death Penalty
For the second time in three years, the Delaware Senate last week narrowly voted to repeal the death penalty. But the House blocked the bill in 2013 and the House leadership still opposes it, and Gov. Markell has yet to state his position. Pete Schwartzkopf, Speaker of the House, opposes repeal of the death penalty unless an exception is made for the murder of law enforcement and corrections officers.
It's going to take a groundswell of public support to pass the bill and ensure for once and for all that the state doesn't wrongfully put innocent people to death. Will you help repeal the death penalty this year?
It's going to take a groundswell of public support to pass the bill and ensure for once and for all that the state doesn't wrongfully put innocent people to death. Will you help repeal the death penalty this year?
Why is this important?
The death penalty should be repealed in ALL cases. It is costly, it is not a deterrent to crime, it kills people who are innocent of the crime, it is unfairly applied to African Americans and other people of color, it prolongs the grief and suffering of the victims' family. The U.S. takes a spot behind China, Iran, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia for the most executions in the world last year, sitting ahead of Yemen and the Sudan. All other Western countries have abolished the death penalty. The passed Senate Bill would replace the death penalty with life sentences without parole.