Statement by Diann Rust-Tierney, Executive Director, National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty: New Mexico's Capital Punishment Repeal

The National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty welcomes the news that New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson has signed legislation making New Mexico the second state in two years and the first Western state to repeal the death penalty since executions resumed in the U.S. in 1977.  New Jersey abolished its death penalty in December 2007. Three years ago, New York legislators declined to revive that state’s death penalty statute concluding that with more than a decade of new information about how it worked in practice, its high costs, and the inherent risk of executing innocent people, maintaining it could not be justified.

We applaud the Governor, policymakers and the people of New Mexico for their leadership.

There are several reasons why this measure should be celebrated. For many, it aligns our response to the very real tragedy of violent crime with Americans’ values of respecting the dignity and sanctity of life.  For others, it aligns with our national values of fairness and equality before the law.  It also aligns with our pragmatic and practical understanding of investing our time and resources only where we can get the best results.

In these economic times, government must consider its limited resources, take a careful look at all of its programs and policy choices, and retain only what works and works well.  That’s what New Mexico did, concluding, as others have, that the death penalty drains resources from state coffers which could otherwise be used for much-needed increases in budgets for law enforcement, neighborhood policing, adult and juvenile crime prevention, substance abuse treatment and counseling, as substance abuse often leads to crime, and murder victims’ families’ support programs.

Repealing the death penalty in New Mexico creates the space for a serious conversation about how we can respond more effectively to the needs of surviving family members of murder victims. We are pleased that State Representative Gail Chasey, author of the repeal bill, has also introduced legislation that provides murder victims’ family members leave from work to attend judicial proceedings, and a measure to create a Murder Victim Family Services Fund. NCADP wholeheartedly supports these efforts, as survivors’ needs are often overlooked.

Congratulations New Mexico!