Pa. governor puts moratorium on death penalty

Associated Press

HARRISBURG, Pa.

Newly elected Gov. Tom Wolf imposed a moratorium on the death penalty in the state Friday, calling the current system of capital punishment “error prone, expensive and anything but infallible.”

The Democrat said the moratorium will remain in effect at least until he receives a report from a legislative commission that has been studying the topic for about four years.

Wolf announced the policy less than a month after taking office, fulfilling a campaign promise.

“I want to give this joint bipartisan commission on the death penalty the ability to come up with their report,” Wolf told reporters at a public appearance in Harrisburg on Friday evening. “Is it cost effective? Are we doing the right thing? Is it fair? Is it effective as a deterrent?”

Pennsylvania has executed only three people since the U.S. Supreme Court restored the death penalty in 1976. All three had given up their appeals voluntarily.

Law-enforcement groups and Republican lawmakers responded quickly and forcefully with criticism of the move.

The Pennsylvania District Attorneys Association said Wolf had no authority to impose the moratorium and called it a misuse of the concept of a reprieve.

“He has rejected the decisions of juries that wrestled with the facts and the law before unanimously imposing the death penalty, disregarded a long line of decisions made by Pennsylvania and federal judges, ignored the will of the Legislature, and ultimately turned his back on the silenced victims of cold-blooded killers,” the association said.

A legal challenge in response was likely, an association spokeswoman said.