Celebrate! New Mexico’s Death Penalty Repeal is One Year Old This Month!

On March 18, 2009, New Mexico became the third state in three years to abolish capital punishment. With the signing the measure, which was introduced and championed by New Mexico State Representative Gail Chasey, New Mexico joined New York and New Jersey as states which freed themselves of this biased, unfair and barbaric practice.

New Mexico’s repeal law was the result of a very effective 12-year campaign effort. The success in New Mexico is part of the momentum that is beginning to sweep the death penalty away state by state. Eleven states considered repeal measures in 2009. This year, Kansas came close to passing a repeal bill in its Senate where the bipartisan vote was tied 20-20. A study commission in New Hampshire is holding hearings on capital punishment’s impact on the state, and whether to abolish it. Nebraska’s legislature is considering a study on the costs of capital punishment. Connecticut could abolish the death penalty in the near future, depending on who wins its gubernatorial elections. There is support for repeal in its House and Senate, which last year voted favorably on an abolition bill. The measure was defeated by the governor’s veto, but a new governor could bring about a very different outcome. Other states, such as Virginia and New Hampshire, have successfully beat back attempts to expand capital punishment.

Since the death penalty’s repeal, the New Mexico coalition that led the abolition campaign has launched new effort called The New Mexico Murder Victim Family Advocacy Project. The project recognizes the link between the repeal victory and ensuring that murder victims’ families receive the support and assistance they need to cope with the tragedy of their loss and to heal. Working in collaboration with Murder Victims’ Families for Reconciliation, the year-long campaign will identify services available to New Mexico’s murder victims’ families and create materials for them, connect service providers, and solidify a process for the continued sharing of resources for victim family members. Its projected completion date is spring 2011.

As we celebrate New Mexico’s status as a death penalty-free state – after one year – we remember that it is not a question of whether the death penalty will end in the U.S., but when. The New Mexico victory is a force behind the momentum to rid our nation of capital punishment. Now more than ever, our movement is gathering strength. Our numbers are increasing across the country, with new voices added to the chorus for repeal. We are winning, and it’s due in large part because of you, your organizing, your fundraising, your outreach to the news media, and your membership development. Because of you, we will see abolition in our lifetime. As Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. once responded when asked “How long?” before racial equality became law, “Not long!”

Remember New Mexico! And keep on pushing!

To write a letter to the editor of your local paper on the anniversary, please click here.