State Senator Ableser Proposes Bill Repealing Arizona Death Penalty

State Senator Ed Ableser (D-LD26) has again filed a bill that would repeal Arizona's Death Penalty.  While the proposal did not make it to the floor last year (held in committees) and no other sponsors or co-sponsors signed on (five others did last year), this bill may draw more attention in the wake of last year's drawn-out execution of Joseph Rudolph Wood III.

The bill (SB1015) would change uses of the term "death penalty" to encompass a life sentence for the

"natural life" of the convicted murderer, and would eliminate the statutes that deal with the aggravating and mitigating factors that must now be evaluated in determining a death sentence.

Although the Senator has not yet responded to Arizona's Politics' questions, he was quoted in a news article in 2013 as noting that Arizona "hasn't had a true conversation" about the death penalty since 1973. "Does it save money? Is it ethical?"

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