Every Thursday, BlogforCT will focus on issues of importance to Connecticut's citizens.
The Judiciary Committee did the right thing yesterday, when it voted 24 to 15 to abolish the death penalty in Connecticut. Michael Ross's case has reignited the perpetual debate on capital punishment, and it's easy to understand why: his crimes are unbelievably brutal, and the families and friends of his victims deserve some kind of closure. But the death penalty won't bring it to them, and it won't keep Connecticut residents safe.
Mayor DeStefano's strong opposition to the death penalty means that, were he governor, there would be strong support for the ban that came out of the Judiciary Committee today, and opposition to the death penalty might not die in the General Assembly like it probably will under Governor Rell.
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There is no reason that Connecticut, or any other state, needs the death penalty. In 2000, Connecticut ranked 29th among the states in population. Despite that, the state ranked 36th in total crimes committed, 33rd in violent crimes, and 38th in crimes against property. In Connecticut, the only crimes punishable by the death penalty are capital felonies, so the death penalty isn't helping to keep most kinds of crime down. That's not to say that we can't do better—we can. But Mayor DeStefano understands, and has shown during his time in office, that the best way to be tough on crime is to be effective.Killing Michael Ross in May won't prevent murder from ever happening again in Connecticut, and it will provide a way for a serial killer to escape time in prison by committing suicide at the expense of the state. But the death penalty isn't just ineffective, it's immoral; whenever the state kills a killer, it's condoning the very behavior it wants to condemn.
Governor Rell not only refused to take a stand against the death penalty when she had a chance, she'll probably use a veto to preserve the death penalty in Connecticut. We need Mayor DeStefano to take this issue on, and to make sure that Connecticut focuses its money and energy on more effective methods of crime fighting and prevention.
