New Hampshire, Wyoming House Pass Bills to Ban Juvenile Death Penalty Less than a month after the U.S. Supreme Court announced that it will reconsider the constitutionality of the death penalty for juvenile offenders, two state legislative bodies have passed measures to ban the practice. The New Hampshire Senate passed its bill to ban the execution of those who were under the age of 18 at the time of their offense on February 19, 2004. The measure now moves to the House, where a committee hearing and vote are expected in the coming weeks. The Wyoming House also passed a measure to ban the execution of juvenile offenders. The House voted 45-12 in support of the bill on February 20, and members of the Wyoming Senate are expected to consider the ban next week. A bill is also advancing in the South Dakota legislature. Currently, 17 of the 38 states that maintain capital punishment forbid the execution of those who were juveniles at the time of their crime. The juvenile death penalty is also forbidden under the federal government’s statute. See Juveniles.
On February 20, 2001 Wyoming’s Governor signed a law to add the sentencing option of life imprisonment without parole as an alternative penalty for those convicted of first-degree murder. The bill, SB 20, also limits the commutation of a death sentence to life without parole.
In January, Sen. Roberts and Rep. Rose introduced SB 25 to modify aggravating circumstances for death penalty purposes.
