Bill Would Repeal South Dakota's Death Penalty

Thursday morning, state lawmakers will discuss a bill to eliminate the death penalty in South Dakota. Capital punishment was re-introduced to South Dakota by Governor Bill Janklow in 1979.

In the three decades since Governor Janklow signed that bill to re-introduce the death penalty, just one person has been executed in South Dakota. Elijah Page was executed in 2007. Three inmates at the prison in Sioux Falls are currently on death row.

The basics of House Bill 1245 will be debated in Pierre starting Thursday morning. It calls for repealing the death penalty and replacing it with life in prison. Those who are currently on death row for a class A felony would have their sentence changed to life in prison.

The bill's sponsor, democratic Representative Gerald Lange says he wants to do away with the death penalty.

"To keep somebody on death row most states are finding its very expensive," said Lange.

Meanwhile, state Attorney General Marty Jackley wants to keep capital punishment.

"The death penalty does serve as both a deterrent and as an alternative sentencing option in very limited cases," said Jackley.

South Dakota is the only state in our area that still has the death penalty. Minnesota banned the death penalty in 1911; Iowa's ban started in 1965.

Source: KSFY.com, Feb. 18, 2010