End the death penalty?

More than a year ago, a team of law professors, scholars, lawyers, and judges let loose a report recommending a halt to the death penalty in Indiana. That assessment came on behalf of the American Bar Association and was one of multiple recommendations being put together nationwide. It suggested putting executions on hold while the Hoosier death penalty statutes were reviewed and, if needed, tweaked.

So far, little action has come from lawmakers on that. But some continue pushing. A protest staged outside the Indiana Statehouse is a monthly ritual that some hope will keep attention on the issue, despite whatever legislative and court decision hurdles may exist. A key question raised by the protest is this: Why do we kill people who kill people to show that killing people is wrong? Then there’s a call to join and end capital punishment. The Indiana Information Center on the Abolition of Capital Punishment holds a similar event every third Thursday, with future dates set for Aug. 21, Sept. 18, and Oct. 16. For more information, visit the IICACP.

So, do you think Indiana will ever join the other 14 states and Washington, D.C., which have no death penalty? Or will the death penalty always be a possible punishment for offenders in Indiana convicted of certain crimes?