North Carolina Republicans and conservative Democrats have joined together to raise people’s awareness of this issue.
Compared to just two decades ago, District Attorneys seldom ask for the death penalty in capital cases anymore. And juries are, more often than not, recommending life over death. North Carolina has sentenced to death fewer than four people a year for the past half dozen years, usually only one or two. There has not been an execution in North Carolina since 2006 and because of the lengthy legal battles before the courts, there may not be another execution in this state for many years, if ever.
Many people say the death penalty is a deterrent. However, the murder rate has continued to decline in North Carolina even though there has not been an execution in North Carolina since 2006. Simply, there was a time and a place for the death penalty in NC: that era has passed and we believe it is time to consider less costly, equally deterrent, options.
This is not an issue that people think or talk about very often. That is why we feel the time is right to begin a dialogue about eradicating the death penalty from our justice system. We hope you will consider joining our efforts.