Push To Abolish Washington Death Penalty Underway

Another push this year to abolish the death penalty in Washington State. King County Prosecutor Dan Satterberg testified in Olympia Monday telling lawmakers he's in favor of a proposal to replace capital punishment with life without the possibility of parole. Yakima County Prosecutor Joe Brusic says he believes in the death penalty. "It is absolutely critical to be have it as an option as a prosecuting attorney"
Last year the governor pushed the same proposal but it failed. But during a public hearing on the death penalty families of murder victims and opponents of capital punishment spoke out in support of the measure saying that a costly and drawn out appeals process only prolongs the pain of the crime. There are currently 8 people on death row in Washington State. Although public support for the death penalty is at a 40-year low, 56% of U.S. residents are still in favor of it, according to a poll last year by the Pew Research Center.