Last year the federal government, under President Trump, engaged in an execution spree. This year, many states across the country are actively trying to find new and exceedingly cruel methods to carry out executions. At the same time we’ve seen remarkable gains made by abolitionists. It’s shocking considering these are in states with a long history of capital punishment. Virginia abolished the death penalty earlier this year and now Utah lawmakers have a strong chance of ridding their state of capital punishment for good. There is a new, powerful and broad coalition of voices leading their effort; check out the links below to learn more about their inspiring work.
One of the most important people in this new coalition is Sharon Wright Weeks. She is the sister of a woman murdered in one of the most infamous capital cases in Utah state history. Early on she supported the death sentence Ron Lafferty received for the murder. 35 years later, and after he died of natural causes, she changed her view on the death penalty. Wright Weeks now hopes this bill will spare other families from going through the trauma she did, while waiting for closure that never came.
This year, in part due to Sharon Wright Weeks’ advocacy, Rep. Lowry Snow, R-St. George, and Sen. Dan McCay, R-Riverton have sponsored a bill to repeal Utah’s death penalty. Their bill would replace it with a new sentence for aggravated murder of 45 years to life in prison.
Lawmakers and impacted people aren’t the only ones leading this movement in Utah. District Attorneys from the most populous counties in the state have lent their voices to support an end to the death penalty. Nearly 60% of their state is represented by these DA’s. You can read statements from these bold leaders about why they think death penalty abolition should be a top priority at the legislature below.
In a 2-1 vote Utah County commissioners from the state’s second most populous county, passed a resolution to remove and repeal the death penalty. They cited fiscal responsibility; in 20 years, two cases eligible for the death penalty cost their state and local government nearly $40 million.
