The citizens of Oregon have debated the death penalty since 1864 when the punishment was first passed by legislators. According to The Oregonian the death penalty was repealed in 1914, restored in 1920, repealed again in 1964, reenacted in 1978, and found to be unconstitutional by the Oregon Supreme Court in 1981. But that was not the end of the death penalty in the state. In 1984 the citizens of Oregon voted, yet again, to bring it back once and for all. Or so they thought.
The state’s governor, John Kitzhaber, issued a statement on November 22 stating that while he is governor no inmates will be executed. The Oregonian reported that Kitzahber’s decision to block executions was not done out of “compassion,” but because the governor feels that the death penalty is “unfair” citing some people commit similar crimes yet are given life sentences.
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