The death penalty is an expensive, ineffective and unjust government program that risks making irreversible mistakes by executing innocent people and wastes millions of dollars that could be better spent on programs that actually enhance public safety. Still, there are those who insist the death penalty remains a strong deterrent for crime or that it helps ensure justice is being done for victims and their families.
As the debate about the death penalty continues in Wyoming, it’s time for some real talk.
That’s why the ACLU of Wyoming is hosting two educational forums to explain the death penalty is actually being used in the state. The first forum will take place at 7 p.m. Jan. 14 at the Laramie County Library in Cheyenne. The second will be online at 12 p.m. Jan. 15 Participants will be able to log on to the online forum via the Zoom web conferencing platform.
“There are a lot of misconceptions about how the death penalty is being used in Wyoming,” said Sabrina King, director of campaigns for the ACLU of Wyoming. “We want to present some of the research and give people the facts that show that the death penalty’s history of deep injustices, skyrocketing costs and entrenched discrimination in our state.”
IF YOU GO
WHAT: Real Talk About the Death Penalty in Wyoming
IN PERSON: 7 p.m. Jan. 14 at the Laramie County Library in Cheyenne
VIRTUAL: 12 p.m. Jan. 15 anywhere you have internet access
TO REGISTER: Go to www.aclu-wy.org/events
About the ACLU of Wyoming
The American Civil Liberties Union of Wyoming is a non-partisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to the preservation and enhancement of civil liberties and civil rights. The ACLU of Wyoming is part of a three-state chapter that also includes North Dakota and South Dakota. The team in Wyoming is supported by staff in those states.
The ACLU believes freedoms of press, speech, assembly, and religion, and the rights to due process, equal protection and privacy, are fundamental to a free people. In addition, the ACLU seeks to advance constitutional protections for groups traditionally denied their rights, including people of color, women, and the LGBT communities. The ACLU of Wyoming carries out its work through selective litigation, lobbying at the state and local level, and through public education and awareness of what the Bill of Rights means for the people of Wyoming.
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