HARRISBURG, Pa. — At a press conference in Philadelphia last week, Governor Josh Shapiro took a stance against the death penalty in Pennsylvania.
After previously supporting the death penalty as attorney general, Shapiro is now endorsing plans to end capital punishment in the Commonwealth.
“I will not sign any execution warrants during my time as governor," said Shapiro. "I am respectfully calling on the General Assembly to work with me, and to abolish the death penalty once and for all here in Pennsylvania.”
“There is a certain humility and openness that allows for adults, regardless of their position in society, to say, ‘I’ve evolved,'" said Rep. Chris Rabb, a Democrat representing parts of Philadelphia County.
Rabb said he will answer the governor’s call and introduce a bill to abolish the death penalty. He argues the death penalty costs the state too much money and that the government doesn’t have the moral authority to execute inmates.
“Our justice system shouldn’t be based on revenge and personal feelings," said Rabb. "It should be around community safety.”
While Shapiro calls for an end to the death penalty, several Republicans in both the Senate and House of Representatives have begun to draft legislation to keep the death penalty.
“If you wonder about the merits of the death penalty, talk to the victim's family," said Senator Mike Regan, a Republican representing parts of Cumberland and York counties.
Regan announced plans to introduce a bill that would require prosecutors to seek the death penalty in cases when a police officer is killed. He argues criminals are emboldened to go after police officers in the line of duty and is putting more lives at risk.
“When a perpetrator decides he’s going to impose the death penalty on a police officer, I think it’s only right that the death penalty be imposed on him," said Regan.
There are currently 101 inmates on death row in Pennsylvania, according to the state's Department of Corrections. A 2018 report from the Auditor General's office estimated the Commonwealth has spent over $1 billion on its death row inmates.
Only three inmates have been executed since 1976, with the last one occurring in 1999.