Pennsylvania's dormant death penalty statute has hung around for more than a decade, costing taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars and leaving a moral stain on the state. Protracted legal appeals and a moratorium on executions have idled Pennsylvania's Death House. Because of that, many people don't know the state's death penalty law remains on the books, and prosecutors across the state continue to use it.
Pennsylvania hasn't executed anyone since Gary Heidnik died by lethal injection in 1999, but the state's death row is one of the nation's largest, with more than 100 prisoners. Like the rest of the criminal justice system, Pennsylvania's death row is racially biased: Nearly half the prisoners are Black, though African Americans make up only 11% of state residents.
The state's moratorium on executions will expire in January, when Gov. Tom Wolf leaves office, raising the specter of another killing spree, similar to the one carried out by the federal government during the final months of the Trump administration. Soon after taking office, Gov.-elect Josh Shapiro must extend the moratorium on executions — then work with legislators to repeal capital punishment in Pennsylvania.
