Death Penalty in New York at Last Breath?

The possibility of reviving the Death Penalty in New York seemed great in 1995 when the Assembly voted in favor of reinstating capital punishment. But 10 years later, with $175 million spent, seven sentenced, and zero executed, it appears that New York will realize their folly and put the Death Penalty down for the count... for good.

"My guess is that there will never be an Assembly floor vote on this issue - that if we did anything, it would be nothing, and that would kill the death penalty," said Mr. Lentol, whose Codes Committee reviews death penalty bills.

Yes, it seems that the Assembly, after hours of public hearings has come to its senses, as very few people were able to muster up any good arguments for actually having the Death Penalty in New York. And as if the numerous anti-death penalty groups weren't enough to persuade the politicians of the futility of capital punishment, they need not look further than one of their own neighboring states.

"Look at what's happening over in Connecticut; it's a circus over there with all those delays in a death penalty case," added Assemblywoman Sandy Galef of Westchester County, who also voted for the law and now opposes it. "Why do we need that?"

Although the Death Penalty should hardly be described as a circus, it is certainly nothing more than a mere act of entertainment to distract us all from the real problems of our society. Above all, it is not a solution.

Thankfully though, New York has come to see things quite clearly.

Full Article at NYTimes.