
A bipartisan group of legislators in Montana will introduce a bill to replace the state’s death penalty with a sentence of life without parole. The sponsors include two Republicans and two Democrats. A coalition of conservative lawmakers, religious groups, and human rights groups support the repeal of capital punishment. Republican Sen. Matthew Rosendale (pictured), a member of Conservatives Concerned About the Death Penalty, said his stance on the death penalty did not cost him votes. “People know where I stand on the death penalty and I still got elected by a wide margin….[I]f you stand up and say, ‘I’m against the death penalty,’ you will not lose conservative votes.” He added that conservatives, many of whom are concerned about abortion, have a variety of reasons for opposing the death penalty: “Everyone has their own reasons why they support ending the death penalty. For some folks, it’s for fiscal reasons, and other folks oppose it for moral issues.”
A similar bill passed the state Senate in 2009 and 2011, but died in the House Judiciary Committee.
Sources
J. Adams, Anti-death penalty bill revived: Group to call for life in prison without parole instead, Great Falls Tribune, February 3, 2013.
Murder Rates
Jun 09, 2023

New AH Datalytics Data Shows Sharp Decline in Murder Rates in 2023
United States Supreme Court
Jun 08, 2023
