Tuesday, February 25th 2020, 8:14 am
The Oklahoma House Judiciary Committee will hear House Bill 2876 that would remove the death penalty as a punishment option in the state.
Representative Jason Dunnington who wrote the bill says it would remove the death penalty as a sentencing option in capital cases.
Supporters of the bill say it takes the risk of killing an innocent person off the table, and will save the taxpayers millions of dollars.
"The death penalty is costing us twice as much as it does for us to keep someone incarcerated for life, and I feel like that is just not the moral thing to do," said Dunnington.
Backers of the bill also say statistics show the death penalty unfairly targets people depending on their race and economic status, and does not deter violent crimes including murder.
The state just announced plans to resume lethal injections as early as July, after a five year hiatus, after finding a reliable supply of drugs. Executions were put on hold after two botched lethal injections, and a drug mix up.
Representative Dunnington says this bill would not apply to the 47 inmates death row currently in Oklahoma.
February 25th, 2020
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