{"id":907,"date":"2016-05-31T04:44:34","date_gmt":"2016-05-31T08:44:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.massachusettscriminaldefenselawyerblog.com\/?p=907"},"modified":"2016-05-31T04:44:34","modified_gmt":"2016-05-31T08:44:34","slug":"connecticut-supreme-court-abolishes-death-penalty","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.delsignoredefense.com\/blog\/connecticut-supreme-court-abolishes-death-penalty\/","title":{"rendered":"Connecticut Supreme Court abolishes death penalty"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Connecticut State Supreme Court has upheld the abolishment of the death penalty, including for death-row inmates in the re-examination of the case of State v. Santiago<\/em>. \u00a0Last August, the Court held that the death penalty was unconstitutional<\/a> following the legislature\u2019s abolition of capital punishment three years ago. The legislature made the law to apply only to new cases and kept in place the death sentences that were already imposed on those facing execution. This law left 11 men on death row to await execution. Attorneys for the inmates on death row challenged the law, saying that it violated the inmates\u2019 constitutional rights. The justices in the majority wrote that executing an inmate \u201cwould violate the state constitutional prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment\u201d and that the death penalty \u201cno longer comports with contemporary standards of decency.\u201d The majority essentially said that it would be unfair to execute the remaining death row inmates when lawmakers had determined that the death penalty was no longer needed for future convicts. Inmates on death row will now be resentenced to life without parole.<\/p>\n

The constitution of Connecticut prohibits cruel and unusual punishments under, as held in the Eighth Amendment of the US Constitution. The death penalty is categorically excessive and disproportionate when imposed on certain classes of offenders. Further, the death penalty is subject to random and arbitrary imposition due to biases and discrimination. The defendant\u2019s life is left in the hand\u2019s of the jury that has virtually unquestionable discretion whether to sentence him to death if convicted.<\/p>\n

The United States is the only Western Country still applying the death penalty. There are currently still 30 states that uphold the death penalty as a sentencing option, as well as the federal government. Of these states, seven have put executions on hiatus without an official end to the death penalty. However, more and more restrictions are being put in place as time goes by. The death penalty may only be used if the defendant is convicted of or pleads guilty to a capital offense. The death penalty has been ruled to be unconstitutional for minors and those with intellectual disabilities.<\/p>\n

Continue Reading \u203a<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Connecticut State Supreme Court has upheld the abolishment of the death penalty, including for death-row inmates in the re-examination of the case of State v. Santiago. \u00a0Last August, the Court held that the death penalty was unconstitutional following the legislature\u2019s abolition of capital punishment three years ago. The legislature made the law to apply […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-907","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nConnecticut Supreme Court abolishes death penalty — Massachusetts Criminal Defense Lawyer Blog — May 31, 2016<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The Connecticut State Supreme Court has upheld the abolishment of the death penalty, including for death-row inmates in the re-examination of the case of — May 31, 2016\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.delsignoredefense.com\/blog\/connecticut-supreme-court-abolishes-death-penalty\/\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" 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