http://cptv.vo.llnwd.net/o2/ypmwebcontent/Catie/WWL%2003.09.2011.mp3
On the dayIllinois is expected to abolish the death penalty, Connecticut lawmakers are grappling with the same question.
Democrats in this state who want to repeal the law allowing executions feel this is their year - with a Governor who says he’ll sign a “prospective” law. But many people from both parties want to keep the punishment as a tool for prosecutors.
At a public hearing this weeklawmakers on both sides heard from Dr. William Petit, the sole survivor of a triple homicidethat cost his his family. He wants to preserve the death penalty - and polls show that most state residents agree.
Today, where we live, we’ll consider the politics and policy of the death penalty, and whether it works as a deterrent.
We’ll also look at what a Supreme Court ruling this week might mean for future death row inmates, and we’ll check in with a Chicago Tribune columnist about Illinois’ decision to repeal the death penalty.
