from Stephen Kobasa of the Connecticut Network to Abolish the Death Penalty
In May 2001, the Connecticut House of Representatives came within three votes of approving a death penalty moratorium. The legislature did pass a law that would prohibit the execution of the mentally retarded and established a commission to study the application of the death penalty law in the state courts. This commission has begun to meet on a monthly basis, with its final report due in January of 2003.
The seven men (three Caucasian, three African-American, and one Hispanic) currently on death row in Connecticut are all in the process of appealing their convictions and/or sentences. The state is currently seeking the death penalty in 15 pending cases. A skilled Capital Defense Unit has largely eliminated any concern about the conviction of the innocent. Even given a worst case scenario, any execution is at least three years away.
The study commission and the lack of an immediately impending execution has created the sense of a de facto moratorium and a lack of urgency on the part of most legislators. The current legislative session has been almost entirely devoted to budget matters, and the one legislative proposal that was death penalty-related (a new aggravating factor, submitted by Governor Rowland, for acts of terrorism) is not expected to be passed out of committee.
Despite these obstacles, the Connecticut Network to Abolish the Death Penalty has been closely monitoring the study commission’s work and expects to hear some strong testimony in the coming months. During the upcoming elections, the Connecticut Network is also prepared to raise the issue in both the gubernatorial and legislative campaigns. It remains our conviction that a moratorium and eventual abolition can be achieved in this state.
