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Tuesday, February 25, 2014

Criminal Justice Quote: Death Penalty Moratorium in Washington State

     Washington Governor Jay Inslee on Tuesday, February 11. 2014, announced a moratorium on the death penalty in the state, saying the use of capital punishment was inconsistent and unequal. The Democrat said his decision came after months of research on current cases, discussions with prosecutors, law enforcement officials, and family members of homicide victims. He also said he toured death row and the execution chambers at Walla Walla State Penitentiary….

     The moratorium does not commute the sentences of those on death row or issue any pardons. But Inslee will grant reprieves so no one will be executed. Since the state's current capital laws were put in place in 1981, 32 defendants have been sentenced to die. Of those, 18 had their sentences converted to life in prison. One was set free. The state's last execution was in September 2010, when Cal Brown was injected for the 1991 murder of a Seattle area woman. Nine men currently reside on death row in Walla Walla….

John Bacon, "Washington Governor Suspends Death Penalty," USA Today, February 11, 2014 

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