For the first time in near­ly two decades, mem­bers of the Nebraska​’s uni­cam­er­al leg­is­la­ture will have an oppor­tu­ni­ty to debate a bill that would repeal the state’s death penal­ty and replace it with a sen­tence of life with­out parole and an order of resti­tu­tion. Members of the leg­is­la­ture’s Judiciary Committee unan­i­mous­ly advanced the bill, not­ing that their col­leagues in the full sen­ate should have a chance to debate the mea­sure. The bil­l’s spon­sor, Senator Ernie Chambers, intro­duced a sim­i­lar mea­sure in 1979 that won approval by the leg­is­la­ture, but was vetoed by then-Governor Charles Thorne.

During the Judiciary Committee’s hear­ing on the bill, those tes­ti­fy­ing not­ed that cap­i­tal pun­ish­ment is more expen­sive than sen­tences of life with­out parole and urged pas­sage of the mea­sure because Nebraska’s cur­rent death penal­ty does not ade­quate­ly address the poten­tial for racial bias and wrong­ful con­vic­tions in cap­i­tal cas­es. University of Colorado soci­ol­o­gy pro­fes­sor Michael Radelet tes­ti­fied that cap­i­tal pun­ish­ment does not deter mur­der and that pub­lic sup­port for the death penal­ty is wan­ing. Former Senator Loran Schmit told the com­mit­tee that he was an out­spo­ken sup­port­er of the death penal­ty for many years before he was a mem­ber of the Legislature. He said he changed his mind when he learned of the dis­par­i­ties in sen­tenc­ing for those who com­mit mur­der. Schmit added, ​“I also thought the death penal­ty would be a deter­rent. I no longer believe that.”

(Lincoln Star Journal, February 1, 2007). See Recent Legislative Activity and Life Without Parole.

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