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Abolishing the Death Penalty would save the lives of many incarcerated people from Philadelphia.
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]PHILADELPHIA–“The Defender Association of Philadelphia applauds and supports Governor Shapiro’s call for the Pennsylvania Legislature to abolish the death penalty.
“We know that the death penalty is not a crime deterrent or an avenue to increased public safety. Moreover, many, if not most of the people sitting on death row in Pennsylvania facilities are former Philadelphia residents who do not deserve to be put to death.
“The work of our community allies around compassionate release has demonstrated that many of the people languishing for decades in prison could be safely returned to their communities, and even be positive agents for change in neighborhoods experiencing high levels of violence.
“The Defender Association thanks Governor Shapiro for his leadership on this issue. We will lend our expertise and advocacy to any efforts toward legislation that will end this archaic practice once and for all.”
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