Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf

USA: PENNSYLVANIA SUSPENDS THE DEATH PENALTY

February 13, 2015: Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf announced he had established a moratorium on executions until he receives and reviews a report on capital punishment in the state.
“This moratorium is in no way an expression of sympathy for the guilty on death row, all of whom have been convicted of committing heinous crimes,” Wolf said in a statement. “This decision is based on a flawed system that has been proven to be an endless cycle of court proceedings as well as ineffective, unjust, and expensive.”
Pennsylvania has not executed an inmate since 1999 and has carried out only three executions since 1976, making it one of the least-active states with the death penalty. Yet the state also has one of the largest populations of death-row inmates. There are 186 people currently on death row in the state, trailing only California, Florida, Texas and Alabama. Some of Pennsylvania’s inmates have been there for more than three decades.
In 2011, the Pennsylvania State Senate established a task force and advisory commission on capital punishment, charging them with exploring whether there is bias or unfairness involved in the trials and sentencing, the potential risks of sentencing innocent people to death and whether the death penalty deters criminals or helps public safety.
Wolf said that the moratorium “will remain in effect until this commission has produced its recommendation and all concerns are addressed satisfactorily.” He said he will grant reprieves to every execution scheduled for the time being, starting from Terrance Williams, who was scheduled for execution on 4 March. (Sources: washingtonpost.com, 13/02/2015)