Gov. Malloy Issues Statement on House Passage of Bill Proposing Repeal of Death Penalty

Governor Dannel P. Malloy released the following statement on House passage of a bill that will prospectively repeal capital punishment and replace it with a mandatory sentence of life without the possibility of release:

“I’m pleased the House passed the bill, and when it gets to my desk I will sign it.

“I want to be careful in the tone of my remarks, out of respect for the gravity of the issue at hand and out of respect for people on both sides of the issue.  When I sign this bill, Connecticut will join 16 other states and almost every other industrialized nation in moving toward what I believe is better public policy.

“For decades, we have not had a workable death penalty.  Only one person’s been executed in Connecticut in the last 52 years, and he volunteered for it.

“Going forward, we will have a system that allows us to put these people away for life, in living conditions none of us would want to experience.  Let’s throw away the key and have them spend the rest of their natural lives in jail.”

The Governor said he will sign the bill if it reached his desk as long as it was prospective in nature.  Lieutenant Governor Wyman has also expressed her support for repeal.