Today, I testified in support of repealing the death penalty, and during a subsequent conservative press conference at the Montana capitol, I urged Montana legislators to consider replacing capital punishment with a better option. The events were widely covered by the media.
In an article syndicated by many outlets, the Missoulian reported,
Hertz said he introduced the bill in part to be a good steward of tax dollars, and said an inmate on death row costs 10 times more than an inmate sentenced to life without parole. The bill does not yet have a fiscal note to determine the cost savings for abolishing the death penalty. Several committee members questioned whether it would be significant, as there are only two Montanans on death row.
While concerned about fiscal responsibility, Hertz said the bill would also fulfill his belief that life begins at conception and ends with natural death, and would provide inmates with a chance for redemption.
“I believe the death penalty system overlooks why we condemn murder in the first place,” Hertz said. “As a Christian, I believe in redemption.”
Rep. Adam Rosendale, R-Billings, Rep. Mike Hopkins, R-Missoula, and Marc Hyden — represented the Conservatives Concerned about the Death Penalty organization. Hyden said conservatives are realizing the death penalty violates core principles of valuing life, promoting fiscal responsibility and a limited government.
The AP also covered the events, and AP reporter, Matt Volz wrote,
Recently, more Republican lawmakers such as Hertz have been behind the abolition efforts in some states. They say the death penalty goes against their values that a person has a right to live from natural birth to natural death, and that housing death-row inmates and paying their court costs is too expensive.
“Some of us supported death penalty for years, but we’ve given a critical look at it,” said Marc Hyden, an advocacy coordinator for the group Conservatives Concerned About the Death Penalty. “Many of us don’t trust the government to deliver mail or fill potholes, so why would we trust them with a dangerous government program that metes out death to its citizens?”