The Hampton Union: "New Hampshire should eliminate the death penalty"

As the Hampton Union reports in the paper's April 6 editorial, "New Hampshire should eliminate the death penalty," no one has been executed in the state since 1939. But state legislators voted to keep the state death penalty law in tact last week--even while New Hampshire does not have a chamber in which to give a lethal injection.

A recent case involving the killing of a Manchester police officer has forced New Hampshire to confront capital punishment, and while lawmakers have opted to maintain it as a legal option, the Hampton Union is offering a different stance.

The paper argues, "We don't think that the state should put itself in the position of taking a human life. Other states, such as Texas, have death penalties — and they use them. Yet crime has not stopped. Murders have not stopped."

They also point to flaws in our criminal justice system: "How many times have we read or heard of people being sent to prison only to find out years later that they were innocent? The same can be said of murder trials, only there is no coming back from the death penalty. According to a Michigan State University report, since 1973, more than 120 people have been released from death row after evidence of their innocence emerged. New Hampshire should not put itself in the position of killing an innocent person."

The Hampton Union, like many other newspapers across the country (including the South Bend Tribune), is taking on a bold stance in declaring its opposition to the state's death penalty law. The paper is exercising its responsibility to educate citizens and better their ability to participate in our democracy, and should be applauded for doing so. Be sure to read the full Hampton Union editorial here.