New Hampshire became the 21st U.S. state to abolish the death penalty today after the state’s Senate voted 16-8 to override the Republican governor’s veto of a bill passed by the Democratic-controlled state legislature.
According to Reuters, before the vote, New Hampshire was the last state in New England that allowed for the execution of people convicted of grave crimes. The vote was largely symbolic: New Hampshire has not executed anyone since 1939, according to the Boston Globe.
New Hampshire Democratic Senator -Martha Hennessey described the death penalty in a statement as “ineffective in reducing violent crime and an inefficient use of our limited criminal justice dollars.”
New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu had vetoed the repeal bill on May 3, saying ending the death penalty would be an “injustice” to law enforcement and victims of violent crime.
