Washington Governor Jay Inslee announced on Tuesday that the death penalty would be suspended while he remains governor of the state.
At a news conference, Inslee said, "Equal justice under the law is the state's primary responsibility," reports Seattle Times. "And in death penalty cases, I'm not convinced equal justice is being served."
So because of an "imperfect system" Inslee has decided there won't be any more executions while he remains in office.
Another reason for halting the use of the death penalty is the cost attached to the trials and appeals process. He also noted that applying for the death penalty is inconsistent and not fair, according to The Associated Press.
For any death penalty cases that land on Inslee's desk, he will order a reprieve, which doesn't pardon or commute sentences for those sentenced to death. Instead, those on death row are simply granted a delay from the execution of their sentence.
Currently there are nine men on death row in Washington. A recent petition by Jonathan Lee Gentry, who murdered a young girl in the 1980s, was denied by the Washington Supreme Court.
image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
