New Mexico Abolishes the Death Penalty

New Mexico just became the third state to abolish the death penalty through the legislature. New Jersey of course was the first and just last month Montana voted to abolish the death penalty as well. The momentum is building!

STATEMENT BY NEW JERSEYANS FOR ALTERNATIVES TO THE DEATH PENALTY ON NEW MEXICO’S REPEAL OF ITS DEATH PENALTY


Chatham, New Jersey – New Jerseyans for Alternatives to the Death Penalty (NJADP) congratulates New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson and the New Mexico State Legislature for their leadership in repealing capital punishment. We welcome New Mexico’s company as it joins New Jersey and 13 other states that have abandoned the outdated and extreme practice of execution.

The strong bipartisan vote in the New Mexico Legislature comes amidst a growing chorus of concern about the death penalty across the country. New Mexico’s decision to end capital punishment brings to 15 the number of states that no longer carry out executions. Other states have put executions on hold or enacted studies. With executions and death sentences on decline since 2000 in every region of the nation, and with public opinion moving away from support for capital punishment, it is clear that America is rethinking the death penalty.