Connecticut
Does my state have the death penalty?
Yes, Connecticut has had 1 execution seen 1976.
In 2001, activists successfully lobbied for the passage of a number of changes to Connecticut's death penalty law. The bill that passed was a mixed bag. On the plus side, it prohibits the execution of the mentally retarded, and set up a study of the death penalty in Connecticut, and eliminates one aggravating factor. It unfortunately also adds a new aggravating factor: the murder of a law enforcement officer.
The study mandated by the bill was released in late 2002. The study recommended many significant changes to the law, but did not recommend moratorium or abolition.
On March 9, 2005 a death penalty repeal bill passed Joint Judiciary Committe.
What is my governor's position on the death penalty?
According to the Governor’s office, Governor M. Jodi Rell (R) “supports current Connecticut law,” which does have a death penalty statute.
How many people are on Death Row in my state?
There are currently 8 prisoners on Death Row in Connecticut. Of the 8 Death Row prisoners, 3 are black, 3 are white, and 2 is Latino.
Is there anything like the Center on Wrongful Convictions in my state?
New England Innocence Project
c/o Testa, Hurwitz & Thibeault, LLP
125 High Street
Boston, MA 02110
Attention: Kristin Cronin, Coordinator
Was anyone on Death Row ever found innocent in my state?
To date, no prisoner on Death Row has been found innocent in Connecticut.
Are there any opportunities for volunteering in my state?
The Connecticut Network to Abolish the Death Penalty
Additional Resources
Connecticut State Info at DPIC
Connecticut State Info at Equal Justice USA
* Information updated annually. Last updated January 2006. For more information, go to the Death Penalty Information Center.
News
An Update on the Michael Ross Case
May 12, 2005
BBC World Service did an interesting story on the upcoming execution of Michael Ross in...
News From Connecticut
May 09, 2005
Connecticut's death penalty hearings have yet to happen with less than a week before first...
Connecticut Forgos Death Penalty Debate
May 05, 2005
With a looming execution, the state's senate has decided against opening up a debate about...
The Death Penalty Dilemma: Lessons From The Ross Case
April 07, 2005
From the Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly, an insightful article written by Michael Meltsner about Michael Ross's...
Connecticut's Death Penalty Survives
April 01, 2005
An update on Connecticut's fight to repeal capital punishment from The Hartford Courant. After Five-Hour...
Murder Survivor Speaks Against Death Penalty as Connecticut Legislature Takes Historic Vote
March 30, 2005
TCASK just sent out this press release. Connecticut's House of Representatives votes on a measure...
Bring on the Bishops
March 20, 2005
U.S. Roman Catholic bishops are preparing to begin what they call a major campaign to...
Connecticut Legislative Committe Votes to Abolish Death Penalty
March 10, 2005
An article in today's Hartford Courant: HARTFORD, Conn. -- A key legislative committee voted Wednesday...
US 'Whittling Away at Death Penalty'
March 03, 2005
From the BBC: Legal experts say that the US Supreme Court's decision to prevent youths...
Democracy Now Segment About The Death Penalty
March 02, 2005
Today you can see a segment of Democracy Now with Amy Goodman about the landmark...
Supreme Court Bars Death Penalty for Juvenile Killers
March 01, 2005
In a huge move, The Supreme Court forbid the execution of minors (under 17) at...
Study Finds Innocence Issue Leads to Lower Death Penalty Support
February 22, 2005
Makes sense to me. Three-quarters of Americans believe that an innocent person has been executed...
Sister of Mercy
February 11, 2005
Renny Cushing, from Murder Victims' Families for Human Rights, sent me this email that I...
Bush Calls for Death Penalty Lawyer Training
February 04, 2005
I realize this is a slow response to the State of the Union, (two days...
Ross Execution Cancelled!
January 31, 2005
If all the back and forth about this execution in Connecticut does not show us...
The Death Penalty in New England
January 28, 2005
AlterNet has an interesting article entitled Death Comes To New England about the upcoming execution...
Court TV Runs 'The Exonerated'
January 23, 2005
Airing: 9 p.m. Thursday, Court TV "At the end of the play, we would sometimes...
More Debate from Connecticut
January 13, 2005
First, a letter to the Editor from Jim Stuhler. Michael Ross is a trap to...
The Death Penalty Debate In Connecticut
January 10, 2005
This article is from the town of my alma mater, Wesleyan University, in Middletown, Connecticut....
Bishops in Connecticut Take on the Death Penalty
January 10, 2005
The debate in Connecticut over the first execution in 40 years intensifies as the execution...
Local clergy to preach about death penalty
January 07, 2005
The New Milford Clergy Association is organizing a unified response to the scheduled Jan. 26...
Where Execution Feels Like Relic, Death Looms
November 21, 2004
On January 26 Michael Brice Ross is scheduled to be executed in Connecticut. "It would...
