Today, the New Hampshire House of Representatives took a floor vote on HB 455, which would repeal the death penalty in New Hampshire and replace it with life in prison without the possibility of parole. The result was 279 – 88, in favor of repeal.
“This overwhelming support in the House of Representatives puts the Granite State one step closer to finally repealing this cruel and unjust policy,” said Devon Chaffee, Executive Director of the ACLU of New Hampshire. “Capital punishment is not only an intolerable denial of civil liberties, but it is unfair, applied discriminatorily, and incredibly expensive. We will bring this momentum to the State Senate in the coming months as we work to make 2019 the year New Hampshire repeals the death penalty.”
Jeanne Hruska, Political Director at the ACLU of New Hampshire, said, “Today, state representatives from across the aisle came together and agreed that the death penalty must be repealed in New Hampshire, with more than 75 percent of lawmakers present voting to abolish this archaic practice. For years, legislators and advocates have been driving home the fact that New Hampshire can live without the death penalty, and this year the legislature is on track to prove that. We thank and applaud all the legislators who are joining together this session to abolish the death penalty in New Hampshire once and for all.”