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CT legislature approves repeal of death penalty
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What it means for those on death row?
- Duration 3:51
- Date Apr 13, 2012
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Transcript
This transcript is automatically generated
-- in the legal landscape in Connecticut the legislature there approving a measure abolishing the death penalty.
The governor is expected to sign the bill sometime next week and this will make Connecticut the seventeenth state to ban the death penalty.
But lawmakers say it won't affect the eleven men currently.
I'm death row in that state including two killers.
Convicted they horrifying crime.
Judge injuring a -- on those are fox senior judicial analyst like it hadn't had a case like this judge does is complicated ones yes it is -- yes let's talk a little bit about.
Did what happens in these men on death row were all familiar with the story at this point of the Petit family break the home invasion.
That led to the killing.
I have a mother and her two young daughters these two men were found guilty.
Of this crime and sentenced by a jury of their peers -- me to -- so what happens to them.
Well look -- will whatever you think of the death penalty what these two.
But now prisoners now convicts did.
And were convicted of was among the more horrific crimes in in the modern era and one of the more death penalty appropriate -- crimes.
The problem now confronting the legislature or what will be confronting.
They'll leave the government in Connecticut is -- government -- signs that says he says he will.
And the death penalty is against the public policy and against the law in the state of Connecticut they cannot apply this death penalty to those -- already been sentenced to death.
But women -- lawmakers say that they expected the eleven people on death row will have those sentences so well.
That if if they want the eleven people on death row to be executed.
They will need to delay -- Making that death -- -- -- illegal in Connecticut.
Until after those executions because the Supreme Court of the United States has made it clear.
That once the death penalty is either found unconstitutional.
Or found unlawful or against public policy or abolished.
It can't be used retroactively it can't selectively be used on those who are unpopular or whose crimes were more horrific than others.
What we know that -- -- executions to go take a long time in the system and yes -- process yes if they were to delay this legislation coming into a fact.
How how long would they have to delay hit it to get those eleven.
Said see their final sentence.
In Connecticut a delay would probably take about five years in California it's twenty years between conviction.
And and execution.
Because they have such a large.
Death row population.
And because they -- the courts are very thorough in reviewing the evidence to make certain it is appropriate for the death penalty.
But the state of Connecticut will be creating a legal conundrum on the -- admire for itself.
It didn't -- it -- -- validates the death penalty but says you can use that on on these are people nevertheless.
Eleven real quick here judge.
An editorial in the New York Times takes on the death penalty again we've seen this time and time again whether or not the death penalty should be legal or not use it yourself -- the Supreme Court has taken it up.
-- you made it illegal made it legal do you see the Supreme Court taking up the death penalty issue again anytime in future no.
-- fact and it's great question Jenna at the present Supreme Court.
Has refused to hear many many appeals.
That challenge the constitutionality.
Of the death penalty they will occasionally review whether or not a particular person should be executed for a particular crime.
But they're pretty much washed their hands of the issue of whether the death penalty violates the federal constitution.
They have declared that it doesn't and that this is a matter for each of the individual states to decide.
Very interesting -- I will see we can only know what's happening right now with these justices yes it has to -- even about the future doesn't -- thank you so much as always -- have a great weekend intent.
