Costly and unjust

Recent reports remind us that it is time for Pennsylvanians to abolish the death penalty. According to a press release on June 9, Pennsylvania Auditor General Eugene DePasquale issued a report indicating that the state’s death penalty has cost taxpayers close to $1.06 billion between 1978 and 2018. In addition about “half was spent on persons later removed from death row because their sentence or convictions were overturned.”

The Pennsylvania Joint State Government Commission that studied the death penalty for over two years determined in 2018 that “the only certain way to eliminate the risk of condemning and executing a factually innocent person would be to eliminate the sentence and not execute any convict.” All aspects of the use of the death penalty were found to have systemic flaws.

Pennsylvania has exonerated eight people on death row in recent years. In June, Walter Ogrod was released from prison after 30 years, including 27 on death row, when his conviction and sentence were overturned.

There are bipartisan bills in the Pennsylvania Legislature (S.B. 990 and H.B. 2211) that have never been moved out of the judiciary committees for discussion on the floor and a vote.

It is time for the members of the Legislature to be given the opportunity to fully discuss and vote on abolishing the death penalty. We ask that everyone contact their legislators and the committee chairs to demand that these bills be brought to the floor for discussion and a vote before December. VIVIENNE SELIA

Murrysville The letter was also signed by other members of the Pittsburgh Chapter of Pennsylvanians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty.