Nevada lawmakers say the death penalty is a 'colossal waste of money'
Nevada lawmakers want to abolish the death penalty because of concerns over costs, sparking opposition from prosecutors and some victims' families.
Nevada is among 32 states that allow death as a sentencing option. But no inmate has been executed since 2006 and none likely will be any time soon as the state struggles to replenish its supply of execution drugs.
Assemblyman James Ohrenschall and state Sen. Tick Segerblom, both Democrats, proposed Assembly Bill 237 in late February. The bill would end capital punishment and leave life without the possibility of parole as the state’s strongest punishment.
“We believe the death penalty isn’t effective, it isn’t a deterrent,” Segerblom said. “It’s a colossal waste of money, and more importantly, no one is ever going to be executed given the delays from appeals and other things.
Read more: http://www.rgj.com/story/news/politics/2017/03/28/nevada-lawmakers-say-death-penalty-colossal-waste-money/99754106/