Media Contact

Janna Farley, jfarley@aclu.org

March 4, 2021

The Senate Revenue Committee voted tonight to advance Senate File 150, legislation that would repeal the death penalty in Wyoming.

The ACLU of Wyoming and Conservatives Concerned About the Death Penalty support Senate File 150. Repealing the death penalty in Wyoming will help eliminate racial and jurisdictional bias, reduce unnecessary waste of tax dollars and eliminate the risk of executing innocent people.

“Support for repealing the death penalty among Wyoming residents is growing every day. With the Revenue Committee advancing Senate File 150, we’re confident that support will continue to grow among legislators, too,” said Sabrina King, ACLU of Wyoming campaign consultant. “As more information becomes available about the arbitrary and discriminatory manner in which these laws are applied — and as societal standards regarding the death penalty continue to evolve — it becomes increasingly difficult for capital punishment laws to avoid violating the Eighth Amendment’s prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment. It’s time to end the death penalty in Wyoming.”

The death penalty has cost Wyoming taxpayers millions of dollars over the years. At a minimum, every biennium the state must budget $1.5 million on the death penalty – even without anyone on death row. That number skyrockets with an actual death penalty case. The money saved by repealing the death penalty in Wyoming would help solve the state’s budget shortfall this year and in years to come.

“I am thrilled that Senate File 150 has made it out of committee and is heading to the Senate floor,” said Kylie Taylor, Wyoming state coordinator for Conservatives Concerned About the Death Penalty. “This shows there is a real effort to prioritize fiscal responsibility, the sanctity of human life and small government in Wyoming. We are more than ready for Wyoming to become the 24th state to repeal the death penalty!”

In addition to the ACLU of Wyoming and Conservatives Concerned About the Death Penalty, organizations like the Catholic Diocese of Cheyenne, the League of Women Voters of Wyoming, the Wyoming Interfaith Network, Cheyenne NAACP, Wyoming Trial Lawyers Association and Holy Apostles Orthodox Christian Church of Cheyenne also support the repeal of the death penalty.

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.

About Conservatives Concerned About the Death Penalty

Conservatives Concerned About the Death Penalty is a national network of political and social conservatives who question the alignment of capital punishment with conservative principles and values.

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