Thursday, February 19, 2009

'MT Senate Passes Bill Abolishing Death Penalty'

I lived in Montana for a couple of years, to be with someone I'd met at my alma mater. Had a nice job there in the State Capitol, my first "real" job out of college. Montana was progressive then. (My ex was from Missoula, across the Continental Divide from Helena.) From Talk Left here.

Good news out of Montana: The state senate passed a bill abolishing the death penalty.

With a 27 to 23 vote, Montana State senators on Tuesday approved a bill that would abolish capital punishment. Montana is one of 36 states that currently has the death penalty and bill sponsor, Democrat Dave Wanzenried of Missoula, hopes that will change. His bill would replace the death penalty with life in prison without the possibility of parole. . . .

Wanzenried says the death penalty is not a deterrent to murder and cited neighboring state North Dakota having a lower homicide rate with no death penalty.

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