Death Penalty is repealed in Colorado

On March 23, 2020 the death penalty was abolished in the state of Colorado by Governor Jared Polis, making it the 22nd state to do so. In this article, by the New York Times, you can read about how abolition came about, reactions, and how the criminal justice system will now be altered in Colorado.

Quoting Shari Silberstein, the executive director of Equal Justice USA, the New York Times notes that “with Gov. Polis’s signature, the state liberated itself from one of the most glaring failures of the legal system and is charting a new path toward justice…instead of wasting millions of dollars every year, the state can focus on the healing that survivors of violence need while also working toward making families and communities safe by preventing future violence.” You can find the article here

For more background on the history of the death penalty in Colorado, notable exonerations, notable clemencies, milestones in abolition and reinstatement, and other interesting facts about the death penalty in Colorado, you can read this piece in the Death Penalty Information Center here.