To: The Nebraska State Senate and Governor Pete Ricketts
Repeal the Death Penalty in Nebraska
Pass LB268 to repeal the death penalty in Nebraska. The death penalty is just state sanctioned revenge. We are better than that. It does nothing to deter the act of murder and since 1970, 150 people on death row have been found to be innocent before they were put to death. How many more innocent people were put to death unjustly? We cannot have the death penalty when there is no way to prove guilt without a doubt. Also the death penalty is meted out in a racist manner. Black people are far more apt to get the death penalty than white. We can't be dealing out state-sanctioned murder in such a way and we shouldn't be dealing out state-sanctioned murder at all.
Why is this important?
I believe the death penalty is wrong . Even if it weren't wrong morally, it is wrong in other ways. Since 1970, 150 people on death row were found to be innocent before they were put to death. How many innocent people have we killed? Even one is unconscionable. And the death penalty is meted out is a racist manner. Black people are far more likely to get the death penalty than white. Also it costs the state more to keep a prisoner on death row up until his death than it costs to keep him in the general population for life. There are so many problems with the death penalty from a moral and practical view.