Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf Says Death Penalty Flawed, Imposes Moratorium

Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf Says Death Penalty Flawed, Imposes Moratorium

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Newly elected Gov. Tom Wolf imposed a moratorium on the death penalty in the state Friday, calling the current system of capital punishment “error prone, expensive and anything but infallible.”

The Democrat said the moratorium will remain in effect at least until he receives a report from a legislative commission that has been studying the topic for about four years.

“If we are to continue to administer the death penalty, we must take further steps to ensure that defendants have appropriate counsel at every stage of their prosecution, that the sentence is applied fairly and proportionally, and that we eliminate the risk of executing an innocent,” Wolf said in a memorandum announcing the policy less than a month into his first term in office.

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