| Executing innocent people doesn't prevent crime. If anything, it tells people that execution has little relationship to what you do, so you might as well do what you want. How many innocent people would you execute to turn California into New England? Also, why is New England so solidly against capital punishment?: - Connecticut ended the death penalty in 2012, after only having used it once (in 2005) since 1976. - Capital punishment has been abolished in the U.S. state of Maine since 1887. - Massachusetts abolished the death penalty in 1984, and hadn't used it since 1947. - New Hampshire abolished the death penalty in 2019, and although they still have someone on death row, they haven't executed anyone since 1939. - Rhode Island abolished capital punishment in 1852, and hadn't used it since 1845. - Vermont officially stopped executing people in 1972, and hadn't done it since 1954. |