North Carolina Conservatives Concerned About the Death Penalty (NC CCADP) urges Governor Pat McCrory to veto House Bill 774 “Restoring Proper Justice Act,” legislation aimed at taking transparency out of the way in which our state executes individuals.
“This legislation is bad policy for North Carolina. Conducting executions is the most extreme expression of the state’s power and should be done in an open and transparent process,” said Ballard Everett, coordinator for NC CCADP. “Making secret the way in which our state obtains the drugs needed and conducts executions practically guarantees that NC will join states around the country that have seen horribly botched executions.”
“Even the bill’s sponsors have admitted passage of H774 would invite more costly litigation,” said Everett. “Why then are they committed to wasting more tax payer dollars by creating more issues that have to be litigated in courts?”
Should executions resume, Governor Pat McCrory will be the final reviewer of death row cases slated for execution. If the Governor signs H774, he will be facing what will likely be a problematic execution process that will inevitably lead to horribly botched executions. Everett said, “Gov. McCrory should not be placed in this position by the General Assembly. The process should be open and transparent to ensure that any execution is carried out correctly and with dignity for all of those involved.”
“We urge the Governor to veto this legislation. If our state is going to engage in capital punishment, we cannot do so by cloaking the execution process in secrecy.” Everett said