Laramie County Representative Jared Olsen (HD-11) and Converse County Senator Brian Boner (SD-02) teamed up this week to introduce legislation that repeals the death penalty in Wyoming.
According to Rep. Olsen, the death penalty costs the state $750,000 every year in taxpayer money to staff and fund capital cases. Olsen says that Wyoming has not carried out an execution in 27 years and does not have a single inmate on death row, yet the state continues “to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars every year to maintain the death penalty.”
If the legislation were to become law, life without parole would become the most sever penalty available in Wyoming.
During the Weekday Wake-up on SVI Radio (Swift 98 & The Spur) Duke & Dahl asked listeners if they thought Wyoming should keep the death penalty as an option despite the rare use and the yearly cost. Or if listeners thought that Wyoming should consider doing away with the death penalty. Here are their responses.
Keep Death Penalty
“Remain an option!!”
“Keep it and use it…..more.”
“How much does it cost for a rope and a box of shells do like they did it in the old west.”
“Keep the death penalty. when we have it there’s always that consequence Looming for those most serious offenders. I worry if we took it away the fear of serious consequence goes with it and up goes prison costs likely significantly more that what it currently costs to hold the death penalty cards for when we will need them.”
“Keep the death penalty in place, get rid of the capital case staff, just disband it. How hard can that be?”
“Keep the death penalty speed up the processing of those on death row.”
“I’m in favor of the death sentence. I do think if they used it more that I think it would prevent a lot of the crime that we have now. I’m sorry they did away with it so many of the states.”
Get Rid of Death Penalty
“How does a firing squad or a noose cost do much??!! I think that price per year is outrageous! There are definitely different cheaper options.”
“If we have the chance to get rid of the death penalty we should. I don’t believe any human should take the life of another even if it is legally. Life without parole is much better. Let them live with the guilt and the thought they they will never be free again while alive.”
‘”The reality of the situation is that executions have been made too expensive to pursue. Wyoming might as well save the money. 27 years at $750,000 is over $20-million!”
