The Honorable Bill Richardson
Office of the Governor
State Capitol, Room 400
Santa Fe, NM 87501

Dear Governor Richardson,

When murder happens, it’s the family of the victim that suffers the longest. Yet the state’s criminal justice system focuses almost exclusively on how to treat the murderer. It’s time to shift our focus back to the family and to address the hidden, harsh realities of losing a loved one to murder.

Victims’ families need our help to rebuild their lives after suffering tragedy and trauma, but we cannot adequately provide that help while the death penalty diverts millions of dollars a year of state resources into an unfair, unreliable, and unnecessary capital punishment system. (I/We) urge you to support greater opportunities for murder victims’ families by replacing the death penalty in New Mexico with life without the possibility of parole and redirecting state resources into an innovative program of victim services.

Convicted murderers deserve the toughest of sentences, and our communities require the best protection—that’s why life without parole should be substituted for the death penalty. Murderers must never be released from prison to kill again. However, we must also recognize that the capital punishment system is fundamentally flawed. A murderer does not receive the death penalty based solely on the heinous nature of the crime. Being sentenced to death more often depends on where you live, if you can afford a private attorney, or whether or not a plea bargain for a lesser sentence can be negotiated. The death penalty does not ensure our safety and too often results in wrongful convictions, which means that the actual murderer remains at large.

As of October 2004, 117 innocents have been exonerated and released from death rows nationwide, including four men in New Mexico. This is about one exoneration for every eight executions. Is the death penalty worth the possibility of executing an innocent?

This year, New Mexico has the opportunity to lead the nation by creating a new approach that returns the focus to where it belongs—to the family of the murder victim. Elements of this program, the first in the U.S., should include: a model “homicide survivors” program that includes crisis intervention and grief counseling; the Catastrophic Family Leave Act that encourages victim participation in the criminal justice system; and a 24/7 Crime Victims’ Hotline.

Please support replacing the death penalty with life without parole and this innovative package of victims’ services in the upcoming January 2005 legislative session.

Sincerely,