Nebraska Abolished The Death Penalty, Find Out How and Reform Of The Criminal Justice System, Why Now?

Nebraska Abolished The Death Penalty, Find Out How

It took over riding the Governors veto but the Nebraska Legislature abolished the Death Penalty in their last session. Nebraska State Senator Colby Coash, was instrumental in passing the legislation and over riding the veto. Merriam Thimm-Kelle, the sister of a murder victims told the legislature “Our sentence has been going on for over 25 years and there’s been no execution. … Every appeal and on and on, everything about the horrible death again, year in, year out. If execution ever comes, it will be another day about Michael Ryan and nothing about (my brother) Jim. … Death penalty supporters say that carrying out the death penalty is family closure. Closure is a myth. The death penalty does absolutely nothing for families except more pain.”

Listen in as host Craig Lubow talks with Senator Coash and find out why a conservative, pro-life Republican Senator changed his views and why he was a leader in the fight to abolish the death penalty in Nebraska.

Reform Of The Criminal Justice System, Why Now?

There have been many advocacy groups calling for sentencing reform, legalization of drugs, humane treatment of inmates and more for years. Their calls for change have for the most part been ignored by politicians hell bent on being harder on crime than their predecessors. Over the last few years the financial and moral issues have begun to sink in and even conservative politicians are starting to realize we cannot continue down the path we are on.

Today Margot Patterson talks with Marc Schindler, Executive Director of the Justice Policy Institute, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to changing the U.S. justice system. Marc will tell us about how the emerging political consensus in favor of criminal justice reform developed and what reforms he hopes will come out of it.

Mission and Vision
JPI is dedicated to reducing the use of incarceration and the justice system by promoting fair and effective policies. JPI envisions a society with safe, equitable and healthy communities; just and effective solutions to social problems; and the use of incarceration only as a last resort.

Contact:
Justice Policy Institute
1012 14th St. NW, Suite 600
Washington, DC 20005
[email protected]
(202) 558-7974 (phone)
website: http://www.justicepolicy.org/index.html


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