PA Governor Will Not Issue Execution Warrants During His Term
Gov. Josh Shapiro also calls on General Assembly to abolish death penalty
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro announced that he will not issue any execution warrants during his term and called on the General Assembly to join nearly half of the country in abolishing the death penalty for good.
As Attorney General, the office he held prior to being elected governor in November, Shapiro said, “I had the privilege of seeing our criminal justice system up close as the chief law enforcement officer. Through that experience, two critical truths became clear to me about the capital sentencing system in our Commonwealth: The system is fallible, and the outcome is irreversible.”
“When an execution warrant comes to my desk, I will sign a reprieve each and every time.”
Shapiro took his announcement further.
“I’m respectfully calling on the General Assembly to work with me to abolish the death penalty in Pennsylvania – once and for all.“
Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner praised the announcement as a death penalty opponent. Krasner noted that in 2019 his office undertook an unprecedented review of every Philadelphia death sentence over nearly four decades (1978-2017) and said “we found that 72% of those 155 sentences were ultimately overturned. More than half of the time, the courts cited ineffective assistance of defense counsel in overturning a death sentence imposed in Philadelphia.”
Krasner pointed out that like most places, “The death penalty in Pennsylvania overwhelmingly applies to Black and brown defendants, mentally impaired defendants, and poor defendants who cannot afford legal counsel and are assigned court-appointed lawyers.”
You can read Governor Shapiro's written remarks concerning this action at the official Pennsylvania Office of Governor Website.
