ACLU-NM Director On Proposal To Reinstate Death Penalty

August 19, 2016 – Governor Susana Martinez announced this week that she will push to reinstate the death penalty for some cases in next year’s 60-day legislative session.

New Mexico lawmakers approved legislation to end the death penalty in 2009 and former Governor Bill Richardson signed it in to law. According to the Albuquerque Journal, Governor Martinez proposes reinstating the death penalty for cases involving the murder of children and law enforcement officers.

Peter Simonson, director of the ACLU of New Mexico, was in our studio this week to talk about the treatments of inmates jails and prisons across the state. We asked him to share his thoughts on the governor’s death penalty announcement.

What do you think? Should New Mexico reinstate the death penalty for some cases? Is there a time when the death penalty is warranted? Tell us what you think in the comments or get in touch with us on Facebook or Twitter.