{"id":87755,"date":"2020-07-21T10:00:02","date_gmt":"2020-07-21T14:00:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sentencing.net\/?p=87755"},"modified":"2020-07-21T13:10:42","modified_gmt":"2020-07-21T17:10:42","slug":"death-penalty-on-the-decline-in-pa-but-still-stirs-up-controversy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sentencing.net\/sentencing\/death-penalty-on-the-decline-in-pa-but-still-stirs-up-controversy","title":{"rendered":"Death Penalty on the Decline in PA, but Still Stirs Up Controversy"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The Controversy of the Death Penalty in Pennsylvania<\/span><\/h2>\n
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Pennsylvania is seeing a dramatic decrease in its use of the death penalty. In the past 57 <\/span>years, the state has seen only three of these sentences carried out. And these executions only <\/span>came after the inmates in question dropped their appeals. The state has not executed anyone<\/span> against\u00a0their\u00a0will\u00a0since\u00a01962.<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
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\"Death<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Sentenced\u00a0to\u00a0death?\u00a0Maybe\u00a0not.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Most of Pennsylvania\u2019s district attorneys are becoming increasingly reluctant to pursue a death penalty <\/span>sentence for a variety of reasons. To pursue the death penalty in Pennsylvania, the<\/span> individual must be charged with first-degree murder. That charge must also be compounded by one or more<\/span> aggravating circumstances charges. Even if the DA manages to convict for a death sentence, the chances that it will be appealed is enormous.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Moreover, this constant battle of appeals takes a financial toll. Defense expenditures topped $143,000 in a <\/span>recent capital murder trial. And capital punishment increases correction costs by an additional $15,000 per year<\/span>. Compounded with public approval sinking for capital punishment, juries have become hesitant<\/span> to impose death sentences.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Robert\u00a0Dunham,\u00a0a\u00a0former\u00a0federal\u00a0public\u00a0defender\u00a0who\u00a0now\u00a0heads\u00a0the\u00a0Death\u00a0Penalty\u00a0Information<\/span> Center says, “What we’re seeing is that prosecutors have realized those cases are likely to not<\/span> result in a death sentence.”\u00a0 <\/span>Berks County District Attorney John Adams points not only to the resources it takes to bring a<\/span> death penalty case, but also the “overwhelming” amount of work it takes to uphold a death<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>sentence on appeal. <\/span>“Prosecutors\u00a0are\u00a0only\u00a0seeking\u00a0[the\u00a0death\u00a0penalty]\u00a0for\u00a0the\u00a0worst\u00a0of\u00a0the\u00a0worst,”\u00a0Adams\u00a0said.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Changes\u00a0on\u00a0the\u00a0horizon<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Philadelphia\u00a0District\u00a0Attorney\u00a0Larry\u00a0Krasner,\u00a0who\u00a0took\u00a0office\u00a0in\u00a02018,\u00a0vowed\u00a0to\u00a0never\u00a0pursue<\/span> the death penalty. <\/span>A review of state data by\u00a0 The Morning Call<\/a><\/span><\/span>\u00a0illustrates\u00a0<\/span>the waning frequency with which <\/span>Pennsylvania is pursu<\/span>ing the death penalty. The number of murder convictions seeking the death<\/span> penalty dropped 24% from 2004 to 2017. This decline reflects the national trend<\/a> against the\u00a0<\/span>death penalty. As of now, six states have abolished maximum punishment completely in the past decade.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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In addition, Mark Bookman, co-director of the Atlantic Center for Capital Representation, which advises<\/span> defense teams in death penalty cases, says the death penalty “is a failed public policy.”<\/span> Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf placed a moratorium on executions in 2015. Yet it remains <\/span>unclear whether there is momentum within the General Assembly to reform or abolish the death<\/span> penalty\u00a0altogether.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Keeping\u00a0capital\u00a0punishment\u00a0for\u00a0those\u00a0who\u00a0deserve\u00a0it?<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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However, there are those who would prefer executions to resume in Pennsylvania. One of those\u00a0<\/span>individuals is Susan Stahler. She is the relative of one of four people murdered by Michael Eric<\/span> Ballard, who now awaits punishment on death row.\u00a0<\/span>“You can say what you want about the death penalty,” Stahler said. “But until you have a loved<\/span> one\u00a0murdered,\u00a0you\u00a0can’t\u00a0share\u00a0your\u00a0honest\u00a0opinion.”<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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The Pennsylvania District Attorneys Association also supports capital punishment. <\/span>“What do you do with a defendant who intentionally targets and assassinates police officers?”<\/span> asks the DA’s Association. “What do you do with a defendant who kills a grandmother and\u00a0<\/span>suffocates a baby in a suitcase for a few dollars? What do you do with a brutal serial killer that<\/span> terrorizes\u00a0communities?”<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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District Attorney John Morganelli won Northampton County’s first two death sentences in a <\/span>generation. He continues to believe in capital punishment. He says his approach to it has not <\/span>changed, even with executions at a standstill. If the crime warrants the death penalty, Morganelli<\/span> says, “we’re going to pursue it.” Lehigh County District Attorney Jim Martin agrees. His office\u00a0<\/span>sent a man to death row in 2007.\u00a0 He claims that any decline in capital punishment is driven<\/span> solely\u00a0by\u00a0the\u00a0facts\u00a0of\u00a0each\u00a0case,\u00a0and\u00a0not\u00a0by\u00a0public\u00a0opinion.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Even so, nearly 57 people have been sent to Pennsylvania’s death row since 2004. But State\u00a0<\/span>Representative Rob Kauffman, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, says <\/span>capital <\/span>punishment\u00a0just\u00a0<\/span>isn’t<\/span>\u00a0a\u00a0big\u00a0topic\u00a0in\u00a0Harrisburg.\u00a0Kauffman\u00a0said,\u00a0“this\u00a0is\u00a0not\u00a0one\u00a0of\u00a0those<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>front-burner\u00a0issues.”<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Src:\u00a0Riley\u00a0Yates,\u00a0“Death\u00a0penalty\u00a0has\u00a0fallen\u00a0out\u00a0of\u00a0favor\u00a0with\u00a0Pennsylvania\u00a0prosecutors,”\u00a0The<\/span> Morning\u00a0Call,\u00a0March\u00a003,\u00a02019<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Controversy of the Death Penalty in Pennsylvania Pennsylvania is seeing a dramatic decrease in its use of the death penalty. In the past 57 years, the state has seen only three of these sentences carried out. And these executions only came after the inmates in question dropped their appeals. The state has not executed…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[314],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nDeath Penalty on the Decline in PA, but Still Stirs Up Controversy - Sentencing.net<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"PA is one of the few states to still have an active death penalty, but many are only seeking it for the worst of the worst.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sentencing.net\/sentencing\/death-penalty-on-the-decline-in-pa-but-still-stirs-up-controversy\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Death Penalty on the Decline in PA, but Still Stirs Up Controversy - Sentencing.net\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"PA is one of the few states to still have an active death penalty, but many are only seeking it for the worst of the worst.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/sentencing.net\/sentencing\/death-penalty-on-the-decline-in-pa-but-still-stirs-up-controversy\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Sentencing.net\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/facebook.com\/attorneysample\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"www.facebook.com\/attorneysample\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-07-21T14:00:02+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2020-07-21T17:10:42+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/sentencing.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/case-law-677940_1280-300x201.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Brandon Sample\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@attorneysample\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@attorneysample\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Brandon Sample\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sentencing.net\/sentencing\/death-penalty-on-the-decline-in-pa-but-still-stirs-up-controversy\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sentencing.net\/sentencing\/death-penalty-on-the-decline-in-pa-but-still-stirs-up-controversy\",\"name\":\"Death Penalty on the Decline in PA, but Still Stirs Up Controversy - 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