Wisconsin Senator Russ Feingold (D-Wisconsin) reintroduced legislation to abolish the death penalty at the federal level. According to the Senators April 2009 e-newsletter to his constituents, Feingold's Federal Death Penalty Abolition Act of 2009 would put an immediate halt to federal executions and forbid the use of capital punishment in cases where federal law is violated.
Feingold states that he opposes the death penalty "because it is inconsistent with basic American principles of justice, liberty and equality."
Wisconsin is 1 of 15 states that does not use the death penalty, having abolished capital punishment in 1853. In the past 2 years 3 states have enacted laws abandoning the practice. New Jersey and New York abolished capital punishment in 2007, and New Mexico's Governor Bill Richardson signed a bill in March of this year ending capital punishment in that state.
The use of the death penalty in the U.S. has been controversial for a long time. In 2007, the American Bar Association (ABA) called for a nationwide moratorium on capital punishment. A study of state death penalty systems by the ABA found numerous problems including racial disparities, convictions based on bad evidence, and grossly inadequate defense systems.
According to Amnesty International, 59 countries still retain capital punishment, and of those only 25 countries carried out executions in 2008. Only China, Iran, and Saudi Arabia executed more people than the United States in that same year.
Senator Feingold had previously introduced his death penalty abolition bill in 2005 and 2007, but to no avail. The current bill, which he introduced on March 19, has been referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee for further consideration.
Source: The Examiner, April 14, 2009
Feingold states that he opposes the death penalty "because it is inconsistent with basic American principles of justice, liberty and equality."
Wisconsin is 1 of 15 states that does not use the death penalty, having abolished capital punishment in 1853. In the past 2 years 3 states have enacted laws abandoning the practice. New Jersey and New York abolished capital punishment in 2007, and New Mexico's Governor Bill Richardson signed a bill in March of this year ending capital punishment in that state.
The use of the death penalty in the U.S. has been controversial for a long time. In 2007, the American Bar Association (ABA) called for a nationwide moratorium on capital punishment. A study of state death penalty systems by the ABA found numerous problems including racial disparities, convictions based on bad evidence, and grossly inadequate defense systems.
According to Amnesty International, 59 countries still retain capital punishment, and of those only 25 countries carried out executions in 2008. Only China, Iran, and Saudi Arabia executed more people than the United States in that same year.
Senator Feingold had previously introduced his death penalty abolition bill in 2005 and 2007, but to no avail. The current bill, which he introduced on March 19, has been referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee for further consideration.
Source: The Examiner, April 14, 2009
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