Posted: February 13, 2015
On February 13 Governor Tom Wolf of Pennsylvania
announced a moratorium on all executions in the state. He said no
executions will take place at least until he has "received and reviewed
the forthcoming report of the Pennsylvania Task Force and Advisory
Commission on Capital Punishment, established under Senate Resolution 6
of 2011, and there is an opportunity to address all concerns
satisfactorily." The legislature commissioned the report in 2011. In his
statement, Governor Wolf said, "This moratorium is in no way an
expression of sympathy for the guilty on death row, all of whom have
been convicted of committing heinous crimes. This decision is based on a
flawed system that has been proven to be an endless cycle of court
proceedings as well as ineffective, unjust, and expensive. Since the
reinstatement of the death penalty, 150 people have been exonerated from
death row nationwide, including six men in Pennsylvania." Terrance
Williams, whose execution was scheduled for March 4, has been granted a
reprieve. Governor Wolf joins the governors of Oregon, Washington, and Colorado
in placing a hold on executions because of concerns about the death
penalty system. In addition, 18 states have abolished the death penalty.
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