Statement of ACLU of Colorado Executive Director Nathan Woodliff-Stanley on today's defeat of the death penalty repeal (HB1264) in the Colorado House Judiciary Committee
"The ACLU of Colorado is highly disappointed that the House Judiciary Committee chose not to end the state's unjust and unfair use of the death penalty.
"The vast majority of law enforcement professionals agree that the death penalty does not deter crime. It is an enormous waste of taxpayer dollars, its use has been arbitrary and often discriminatory, and it poses an unacceptable risk of executing an innocent person.
"Ending the death penalty and replacing it with the more cost-effective and fair alternative of permanent imprisonment remains a top priority of the ACLU of Colorado. Opponents of repeal cited a need for more conversation and debate, and we are committed to being a catalyst for that conversation until the death penalty is ended in Colorado once and for all."
