FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 28, 2005 Massachusetts Citizens Against The Death Penalty opposes Governor Mitt Romney's effort to reinstate the death penalty in the Commonwealth. Massachusetts has not had an execution in nearly sixty years and has one of the lowest homicide rates in the nation. The Governor's contention that a scientifically "fool proof" death penalty statute is possible, is obviously flawed. First, the Commonwealth has had a dismal history with its Medical Examiner's Office, which was revealed to be riddled with error and mismanagement. Second, DNA, the basis for "scientific" evidence, is only available in a fraction of homicide cases and only as accurate as those collecting samples and those testing the samples. Since the death penalty is not a deterrent, would depend on DNA in a fraction of cases, and is prohibitively expensive - costing more than $5,000,000 per case - we conclude that the governor is playing politics with human life. Many would argue that the millions of dollars spent on the culture of death would better be directed to preventing crime and treating its root causes. No other western democracy allows the death penalty. No other western democracy allows the torture of prisoners. Nor should we. A recent editorial in the highly respected British medical journal, The Lancet, proves that prisoners die a slow, agonizing death as a result of lethal injection. We urge the legislature to renounce the governor's political ploy and once again defeat any attempt to restore the death penalty in Massachusetts. Martina Jackson Executive Director, MCADP website: mcadp.org