The Oklahoman reports, "Oklahoma lawmaker Connie Johnson seeks support to abolish death penalty," by Julie Bisbee.
Sen. Connie Johnson said she will spend the next four years working to get support for abolishing the death penalty before eventually filing legislation.
Johnson, D-Oklahoma City, and members of the Oklahoma Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty said they will organize grassroots support.
Death penalty cases cost the state more money more than non-death penalty cases, Johnson said.
"It’s time to start looking at the cost of incarceration and the death penalty,” Johnson said during a news conference Monday at the state Capitol. "We need to take a dollars-and-cents point of view.”
Johnson said she would wait to file legislation to abolish the death penalty to allow the coalition to organize support for the measure statewide
Republican legislative leaders said they would not support such a measure.
"State Senator Looks To Abolish Oklahoma's Death Penalty," is the AP report via KDTV-TV.
A state senator from Oklahoma City says she's renewing her efforts to abolish the death penalty in Oklahoma.
At a news conference Monday at the state Capitol, Democratic state Sen. Connie Johnson said she's hoping the state's current economic slump could provide momentum for public interest in abolishing capital punishment.
She says the high cost of prosecuting death penalty cases presents an unnecessary financial burden on the state.
Johnson says she doesn't intend to introduce a bill this year, but will work with the Oklahoma Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty to launch a statewide educational campaign.
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