Nebraska lawmakers watch the vote tally on a measure abolish the death penalty on May 27. Senators in the one-house Legislature voted 30-19 to override Gov. Pete Ricketts, a Republican who supports the death penalty. (Nati Harnik, The Associated Press)
Re: “A reason to keep death penalty,” June 8 letter to the editor.
In response to Nebraska’s abolition of the death penalty, letter-writer Nelson Marans offered a compelling reason to maintain it. He noted that a murderer is more likely to plead guilty for the sentence of life without parole if the death penalty were maintained on the books, thus saving the legal system the expense of lengthy appeals.
However, there is a much more compelling reason: Assuming that the death penalty is not on the books, a murderer who is serving life without parole has nothing to lose in an attempt to escape, or by assaulting or murdering another inmate — or, worse, a prison guard. Without the death penalty, escapees are especially dangerous since they are free to commit crimes without fear of any additional consequences.
Mitchell Brodsky, Denver
This letter was published in the June 11 edition.
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