54 Pro Death Penalty Quotes by Politicians from the U.S.A

Sen. William Haine, D-Alton, a former prosecutor, was among the most outspoken defenders of capital punishment.

And state Sen. William Haine, one of several Democrats to oppose repeal, said Quinn should have pushed for a statewide debate and a referendum on whether to keep capital punishment.

"This removes a remedy of the people of Illinois for great and evil acts of a unique kind: wanton cruelty, terrorism, rape and murder, the butchery of small children, mass murder," said Haine, from the southern city of Alton. "It removes a remedy for the community to seek the penalty of death in which someone forfeits one's life for these great wrongs committed to innocent people."

Sunday 30 December 2012 - A lawmaker who saw her son's killers sentenced to die says Colorado voters — and not 100 lawmakers under the state Capitol's golden dome — should decide whether to abolish the death penalty.

As state Rep. Rhonda Fields' Democratic colleagues attempt to gather support for ending capital punishment through legislation, she has started work on a bill that would put the death-penalty question on the 2014 ballot, she said.

Her counter proposal sets the stage for a political showdown on a traditionally touchy topic at the Capitol, where some key officials' stances against abolishing the death penalty have recently softened.

"Colorado lawmakers should not slam the door on justice for those who commit heinous crimes," Fields said. "I believe that society must be protected, and the voters should decide the fate of capital punishment."

Colorado has executed one man since the death penalty was reinstated in Colorado in 1975. Three men currently wait on death row.

"It's a very insensitive thing to do in light of the recent tragedies our nation and state has experienced," says Fields, who was very active in the aftermath of the Aurora theater shooting on July 20. "It sends the wrong message to the people in our state that no matter how horrible the crime is going to be in the state of Colorado in 2013...we have lawmakers who want to...remove the death penalty as an option for the DA. It's very disturbing to me. I think it's an insult to crime victims. I don't think the timing is right."

Saturday 2 February 2013 - Fields represents one of the most prominent voices of opposition to her fellow Democrats' expected push to repeal the death-penalty in Colorado this session, joining a handful of other states around the nation recently that have banned capital punishment.

"There are some crimes," she said, "that are so heinous that having the death penalty as an option should be something that we retain."

Saturday 2 February 2013 - The bill is expected to be introduced in the Senate first, and Fields stands firm in her opposition.

"I think about my loss every day," Fields said, "and what I can do to be an advocate and a champion for other crime victims, and what I can do to make our community a safer and brighter place."

On Monday 18 March 2013 afternoon, Rep. Rhonda Fields, D-Aurora, introduced a measure to have voters decide in 2014 whether to repeal the death penalty. Last Friday, two House Democrats, Reps. Claire Levy of Boulder, and Jovan Melton of Aurora, introduced a bill to allow lawmakers to repeal capital punishment. It will be heard Tuesday before the House Judiciary Committee.

“The citizens should weigh-in on this,” said Fields. “I don’t personally believe this is up to lawmakers to decide.”

Meanwhile, Maisha Pollard, whose brother Javad was killed in 2005, said repeal of the death penalty is not something that should be left up to state lawmakers.

"It's a decision that should be made by every victim who has had to sit in court. It's a decision that should be for every mother who has had to bury a child," said Pollard, the daughter of Rep. Rhonda Fields, D-Aurora.

But defenders of the death penalty had plenty of supporters at the Capitol, too. Maisha Pollard, the sister of murder victim Javad Marshall-Fields, called the bill "insensitive" and "erroneous." Two of the current death-row residents, Ray and Owens, were convicted of killing her brother and his fiancee, Vivian Wolfe, in 2005; while Levy's bill only applies to crimes committed after July 1 of this year, Pollard expressed concern that the abolition measure could help strengthen clemency pleas for Ray and Owens.

"They were found guilty, not because they were black, not because of their age, but because of their decision to commit murder," Pollard said. "Do not put justice for my brother at risk."

Colorado’s debate over repealing the death penalty will stay on hold, for now, after a state House committee decided Wednesday 20 March 2013 to delay a ballot measure on doing away with the punishment.

The ballot-measure suggestion was the second Democratic death-penalty proposal in as many days to go on ice. On Tuesday, an outright repeal was delayed by a separate committee after nine hours of emotional testimony on both sides.

The sponsor of the death-penalty ballot question, Rep. Rhonda Fields, is a supporter who proposed the ballot measure because she supports the death penalty and believes voters would decide to keep it.

Fields’ son was gunned down in 2005 by people who wanted to prevent his testifying in a murder trial. Two men await execution in Colorado for the killing.

“I think the time is not now to abolish the death penalty,” Fields said. She brought up last summer’s mass shooting in a movie theater, which happened in her suburban Denver district.

Fields said she hopes prosecutors seek the death penalty against accused shooter James Holmes. A decision on whether they’ll seek the death penalty is expected next month.

Fields said that replacing the death penalty with life without parole would leave the same punishment for too wide a variety of crimes.

“No matter how heinous the crime … we’re going to say everyone gets the same penalty, everyone,” Fields said.

“My ultimate goal is to keep the death penalty intact, so I really need to wait to see what happens with the other bill,” Fields said.

“Capital Punishment is the only Justice that suits a murderer.”

Wednesday 2 January 2012 - Miller said he personally opposes full repeal because he believes there are cases where the death penalty is appropriate, such as in the case of mass murders.

"I strongly believe the death penalty should remain in effect for mass murderers," he said. "I feel strongly that the Hitlers, the Eichmanns, the slavers, these mass murderers, they deserve the ultimate penalty. Those are my personal views."

Sunday 18 March 2012 - If the legislation is passed, some of the elected officials from the Lower Shore, including Senators Richard Colburn, R-37-Dorchester, and Jim Mathias, D-38-Worcester, and Delegate Charles Otto, R-38A-Somerset, fear there would no longer be a strong deterrent in place to prevent people from committing murder.

Mathias said ultimately people are responsible for their actions.

"I believe in a society most people are good, but I think, unfortunately, we have to have these laws because some people aren't," he said. "They need to be enforceable and they need to evolve as we go along."

Friday 18 January 2012 - Like McDermott, Mathias continues to be an advocate for keeping the death penalty.

“I support the death penalty,” he said. “I do believe there are cases that warrant the use. In extreme cases, we can incarcerate them for life, but we can’t be sure they won’t kill again. We have to be concerned for our correctional officers.”

“I do believe it’s a deterrent,” he said. “I also believe it’s a tool a prosecutor needs. Without the threat of the death penalty, it could be difficult to get sentences of life without parole.”    

Sen. Linda Holmes, D-Aurora, rejected suggestions by backers of the ban that it is tougher for killers to spend life in prison agonizing over their crimes.

"The Charles Mansons, the Ted Bundys, they are not going to sit in prison and repent," Holmes said. "They are sociopaths."

Monday 26 March 2012 - Rep. Mary Fritz, the mother of six and grandmother of 14, is a Roman Catholic who backs the church's teachings on abortion, euthanasia and most other matters of conscience.

But the Democrat from Wallingford breaks from the "culture of life" teachings of the U.S. bishops on one fundamental point: She adamantly supports the death penalty. "I believe it's a deterrent and a matter of justice and I think it's the right policy for the state of Connecticut,'' she said.

Fritz recognizes the inconsistency of her stance in the eyes of church leaders, but that, she said, is "between me and God.''

"Although seldom actually used in Connecticut (Serial killer Ross during the last 50 years or so), two other major concerns led to my decision. First, that those currently on death row in Connecticut (the Petit killers) will win appeals to stop their death sentences in exchange for life without parole. Second, that a future legislature may be persuaded to change life without parole to include “certain exceptions” to allow parole." [Claire Janowski voted against the repeal on Friday 13 April 2012] 

Thursday 20 October 2011 - Rep. Laura Pantelakos, D-Portsmouth, the only Democrat to vote for the bill, said, “An eye for an eye. It's in the Bible.”

"I think to myself, 'What if my daughter was a victim of one of these crimes, or a family member?' " said Sen. Robert J. Garagiola, a Montgomery County Democrat who supports capital punishment.

"It's more from the gut," Garagiola said. "It would be different if Maryland had a hundred-some people on death row and we were executing people every other week. In this state, it's used sparingly to begin with." [Wednesday 27 January 2013]

He said he supports the Supreme Court review of Ohio’s current laws and costs of the death penalty. That review won’t debate the law itself, though.

State Sen. Joe Schiavoni of Canfield, D-33rd, said he supports the study, and as it stands now without having reviewed specific legislation, he is “definitely in favor of keeping some sort of capital punishment on the books.”

“I don’t think that money should be the No. 1 priority. I think victim’s rights and defendant’s rights should be the first and second most important,” he said.

“I think about the victim’s family, and sometimes capital punishment is the only thing that may give that family the justice and closure they’re looking for. And you have to think about how to deter crime,” he continued.

Schiavoni stressed that the death penalty should only be an option for a small number of cases — “the most heinous, egregious, most clear-cut.”

"We have too many first responders who are under siege in our community, and I think it's a deterrent," said Zalewski, whose district includes portions of La Grange. "It helps law enforcement make arrests and gather information in a more thorough way, and I'm not ready to have it repealed."

No matter what Quinn does with the death penalty bill, the issue won't go away, said Sen. Michael Noland, D-Elgin.

"I think the death penalty was put in place for one purpose only, and that was to punish the person who committed the crime. That's just my opinion. Now the people that have been put to death already, I can promise you one thing: They won't ever kill again. … Thank you."

The senator, who after a decade in office is not seeking re-election in November, said he wants to see the death penalty re-introduced because “What we have right now isn’t working – you turn on the news every morning and there’s another murder. There’s no more respect for life – the country is upside down.” [Tuesday 17 January 2012]

Tassoni said he feels the legal system is less prone today to making mistakes in murder convictions because of advanced technology such as DNA testing.

Tassoni said his bills, which are headed for the judiciary committee, do not yet have a sponsor for introduction in the House, but “I’m working on it.”

I support the death penalty as the ultimate possible penalty for those who may commit the most heinous of crimes. It is a decision that I made after very serious consideration. Protection of the public is our most important job as state legislators. A large majority of my colleagues agreed that capital punishment must be among the options in our criminal penalty statutes. [Bills deserve thoughtful debate Sen. Charlie Janssen FremontTribune.com | Posted: Tuesday, January 31, 2012 11:00 am]

Senator Specter, who formerly served as District Attorney of Philadelphia, and has tried capital murder cases, has stated that “[b]ased on this experience, I am personally convinced that many professional robbers and burglars are deterred from taking weapons in the course of robberies and burglaries because of the fear that a killing will result, and that would be murder in the first degree.” 141 Cong.

Rec. S7893 (June 7, 1995). Senator Specter has described a case in which three criminals decided to rob a grocery store in North Philadelphia. They talked it over, and the oldest of the group, Williams, had a revolver which he brandished in front of his two younger coconspirators. When Carter, age 18, and Rivers, 17, saw the gun they said to Williams that they would not go along on the robbery if he took the gun because of their fear that a death might result and they might face capital punishment – the electric chair.

Thursday 26 January 2012 - Tense moments on the Unicameral floor. The issue, death by legal injection. Passionate debate which almost brought some state senators to tears.

"And I'll tell you something, there were no mistakes made for what happened in that bank back in 2002," Norfolk senator Mike Flood said.

That's when three men walked into a Norfolk Bank, opened fire and killed 5 people. They sit on death row.

"These are vicious obnoxious folks who that have committed the heinous of crimes and deserve the death penalty," Flood said.

Critics of the bill say lethal injection can be a deterrent from murder.

"Retribution is part of the criminal process in America. What I'm talking about is a system that embraces justice, that embraces evidence, that embraces a process where citizens can channel their disgust," Flood said.

"Life in prison does not make it right, when someone has imposed more than one murder or has committed heinous crimes," Scottsbluff Senator John Harms debated. [Thursday 26 January 2012]

Monday 11-04-2011 - Rep. Steve Mikutel, D-Griswold, accused death-penalty foes of subverting the will of the people. "There is no mandate from Connecticut residents to repeal capital punishment,'' Mikutel said. “On the contrary, there is a mandate to keep it, and we should do the will of the people.''

A Quinnipiac University poll released last month found that Connecticut voters support the death penalty by 67 percent to 28 percent, and support has risen over recent years. However, when respondents were offered a choice between the death penalty and life in prison with no chance of release, voters were almost evenly split.

Thursday 12 May 2011 - State Rep. Steve Mikutel, D-Griswold, a leading proponent of keeping capital punishment, praised the two senators for supporting "Dr Petit's quest for justice."

"This is a victory for justice if this holds - justice for all of Connecticut's innocent victims of murder," Mikutel said. "The majority of the people of Connecticut want to keep the death penalty for cold-blooded killers like Steven Hayes and Michael Ross."

State Rep. Steven Mikutel said, "The life of a cold-blooded killer seems to be more valued by these advocates than the innocent murdered, and that is morally wrong." A 2011 Quinnipiac University poll found that 67 percent of registered voters in Connecticut favor the death penalty. Mikutel says legislators should adhere to the wishes of the state's residents over interest groups.

Three young women were murdered in State Representative Steve Mikutel's district in Griswold in the 1980's by serial killer Michael Ross.

"Those kind of callous killers deserve the death penalty and the courts have upheld the death penalty," Rep. Mikutel said. [Wednesday 22 February 2012]

Those opposed to Senate Bill 185 say that the criminals committing serious crimes deserve it.

“I was nauseated by just being inside the area where those people are in close confinement, so they are being punished in a way that you can't imagine unless you go witness it yourself because you will walk out of there feeling the hair on the back of your neck standing up I guarantee it,” remarked Senator Cliff Larsen (D – District 50).

Governor Pat Quinn signed the bill which abolished the death penalty in Illinois on Wednesday 9 March 2011: State Sen. Mike Jacobs, D-East Moline, voted in favor of the measure with some reservations.

"I still think that maybe cop killers, people who pre-plan murders, maybe they ought to have the death penalty," Jacobs said.

Jacobs said he only had two options, and he chose to vote "yes."

"I think you really have to be careful when you make the ultimate sacrifice and take someone's life, that you've got to make sure that they've actually done the crime," Jacobs said.

"They've still lost their loved one. If we really want the death penalty to be a deterrent we should put it there for everyone who commits murder," Lincoln Senator Amanda McGill said. [Thursday 26 January 2012]

Tuesday 14 February 2012 - Home invasions are rare in Pickens and Anderson counties, officials say, but when the crimes happen the victims are often traumatized.

A Westminster man, in Oconee County, was tied up at gunpoint Saturday in his home and robbed, according to deputies. The perpetrator is still being sought.

Right now the assailant would likely be prosecuted for burglary but state legislators have introduced bills that would create a new category, home invasion, for such crimes.

The bill provides for punishments of 20 years or more for a home invasion and would open the door to a death penalty case if someone dies during the invasion.

“It’s the new thing in the crime world,” said state Rep. Wendell Gilliard, a Charleston Democrat who introduced the House bill.

“It’s a fad,” he said. “It’s something criminals get from movies and music. They want a bad rep so they kick down a door. We’re not going to stop it unless we take a hard stance.”

He said the crime is growing in his area and victims have been tied up, raped or beaten. 

Governor Pat Quinn signed the bill which abolished the death penalty in Illinois on Wednesday 9 March 2011: State Sen. Gary Forby, D-Benton, said if someone were to kill his family, they deserved an equal punishment.

"I'm from the old school," Forby said. "I'm for the death penalty."

Governor Pat Quinn signed the bill which abolished the death penalty in Illinois on Wednesday 9 March 2011: But Franks, who voted against the legislation in the House, said he disapproved of the repeal.

“I think it’s a mistake. That’s why I voted against it,” Franks said. “I think [the death penalty] is a necessary tool for law enforcement.”

Franks also said that he thought that eliminating the death penalty as a possible punishment put those trying to resolve criminal cases at a disadvantage. He also feels that the death penalty is necessary because murder victims and their families need justice.

“When a jury finds that a person has committed such horrible crimes that he or she should be put to death, I think the jury should be listened to,” Franks said. “There was an expectation of the victim’s family that that punishment would be given and performed. I hate to lessen the severity of these crimes.

“In some cases, when you see the [serial killer John Wayne] Gacys of the world and people who prey on children, there’s no place in society for them,” he said. “There ought to be an ultimate price to be paid.”

“Once convicted and decided by a jury that these people should be put to death, I would support it here in Massachusetts, and I think it would be high time to bring it back so people like Mr. Gaynor don’t get away with what he got away with,” said Cahill.

Sunday 1 December 2002 - Massachussetts Senator and presidential hopeful John Kerry is looking better and better to us. He was interviewed Sunday by Tim Russert on Meet the Press about his opinions on the death penalty.

MR. RUSSERT: So if a state had a death penalty, you would respect it?

SEN. KERRY: Of course. You have to respect the law. The law of the land is the law of the land, but I have also said that I am for the death penalty for terrorists because terrorists have declared war on your country. And just as I, in a war, was prepared to kill in defense of my nation, I also believe that you eliminate the enemy and I have said publicly that I support that.