The legislature voted to repeal the death penalty, fortunately Governor Rell has chosen to veto the repeal. The Courant reports:

“I appreciate the passionate beliefs of people on both sides of the death penalty debate. I fully understand the concerns and deeply held convictions of those who would like to see the death penalty abolished in Connecticut,” she said in a statement.

“However, I also fully understand the anguish and outrage of the families of victims who believe, as I do, that there are certain crimes so heinous — so fundamentally revolting to our humanity — that the death penalty is warranted.”

Yet, it shouldn’t be about the anguish of the families of victims. It should be about the irredeemable qualities of certain times of crimes, such as multiple murders.

Anne Stone of Farmington, whose son, Ralph, was murdered in Washington, D.C., in 1997, echoed a theme shared by the families when she said that capital trials and the seemingly endless appeal process provide no closure to the survivors, even if an execution were to take place.

Canzano, who works with trauma victims, said that the death penalty offers false hope to people at a time when they are experiencing crushing grief.

“There is no trauma like murder and no grief like homicide grief,” said Canzano. “But we err as a society if we believe … the death penalty helps the survivors.”

She said that capital punishment appears to promise “that something will be made right, but truth be told, this is something that can never be rectified no matter what we do. The notion of balancing the scales is ludicrous — it simply doesn’t happen.”

source: Courant, Rell Vows To Veto Measure Abolishing Death Penaltyy, By JOSH KOVNER, May 23, 2009