By a vote of 25-15, members of the Connecticut Judiciary Committee voted for legislation to repeal the state’s death penalty and replace it with life in prison without the possibility of parole, an action that clears the way for the House to debate the measure. Supporters of the bill say that the state’s death penalty is an unenforceable statute, a source of agony for families of murder victims, and a fiscal burden the state can no longer afford to bear. “We should not be debating spending $3 million or $4 million to kill one man when we should be spending that money on school books. We should choose to put our resources where we can grant life, not death,” said state House Deputy Majority Leader Toni N. Walker during a three hour committee debate on the repeal measure. The Judiciary Committee’s vote reflects a growing consensus in the Connecticut House and Senate that the repeal bill deserves a debate on the floor of the full legislative chamber. (New Haven Register, March 10, 2005).

See Life Without Parole.