CAPITAL punishment has been meted out in Connecticut since colonial times, when convicted witches were sentenced to death. In recent years it has been used sparingly . Of the 4,686 murders committed between 1973 and 2007, only 66 led to convictions of a capital felony, according to a 2011 study of capital punishment in Connecticut by John Donohue of Stanford Law School. And only nine of the culprits actually received the death sentence. Indeed, the execution in 2005 of Michael Ross, a serial killer who waived further appeals, was the first since 1960. Eleven people are in various stages of appeal on death row , including two who have been there for two decades. “Keeping it without using it doesn’t make a lot of sense,” notes Richard Dieter, head of the Death Penalty Information Centre.
自从殖民时代宣判有罪的巫婆被处以死刑以来，死刑就存在于康涅狄格州了。近年来，死刑却很少执行。根据斯坦福法学院的约翰•多诺霍在2001年的研究，1973年到2007年期间的4868起谋杀案中，只有66起定罪为死刑。而且仅有9位罪犯真正的处以死刑。事实上，连环杀人案凶手迈克尔•罗斯放弃上诉，于2005年执行死刑，这是1960年以来首例死刑案例。死囚区中有11人在不同的上诉阶段，其中包括两位上诉二十年的囚犯。死刑信息中心主任理查德•迪特指出“保留死刑却不执行并没有多大意义”
Connecticut lawmakers agree, including some Republicans. Earlier this month the state’s two legislative chambers voted to repeal capital punishment. Dannel Malloy, the governor, has pledged to sign the bill when it reaches his desk, perhaps as soon as next week. But Arthur O’Neill, a Republican state legislator, wants to put the matter to the people and has asked the governor to schedule a referendum.
康涅狄格州的立法者同意这一观点，包括一些共和党人。本月早些时候，该州参众两院投票废除死刑。州长丹侬•马洛伊承诺当法案到他的案头时，他就会签署的，也许最快就在下周了。但是共和党议员阿瑟•欧尼尔希望将这个问题交予民众决定，并建议州长安排一次全民公投。
He points to polls which indicate that a majority of voters in Connecticut, a Democratic state, support the death penalty. This is partly because of the notorious “Cheshire murders” case of 2007, which is still on the public’s mind. A mother and her daughters, aged 17 and 11, were murdered at their home. The mother was raped; the younger daughter was sexually assaulted. The invaders, Steven Hayes and Joshua Komisarjevsky, both out on parole, then set the house on fire. Hayes was sentenced to death in December 2010. Komisarjevsky, his accomplice, was sentenced to death in January. Both are still alive.
他提出调查显示民主州康涅狄格州的多数选民支持死刑。这部分原因是因为2007年臭名昭著的柴郡谋杀案仍然留在人们的记忆里。一位母亲和她17岁和11岁的女儿在家被谋杀。母亲被强奸，年轻一点的女儿被性侵。嫌疑犯斯蒂文•海斯和约书亚•科米萨耶夫斯基当时都身处假释，他们纵火烧了那座房子。哈斯于2010年12月判处死刑，帮凶科米萨耶夫斯基于一月判处死刑，但两人都没有执行死刑。