The College of St. Rose
For all the time I have been governor, the death penalty has been a subject of intense debate, and disagreement. I have studied the subject since I became a law student, known individuals sentenced to death, been in the death house, reviewed all the arguments and alleged proofs that are generally available, and I’m surer now than I’ve ever been that the death penalty not only is ineffective as a deterrent, but is probably more likely to encourage than to discourage violence.
I have vetoed bills that would impose the death penalty every year I have been governor and probably will again in the years ahead. My veto, however, is not certain to prevent it: with a two-thirds vote of the legislature New York can have any law it wants, despite the governor. So far, there has not been that much support for death in our legislature, although the vote has come close.
In truth, I believe it is not death the people want, it is an end to the violent crime in our society. The call for the return of capital punishment is another way of demanding that something more be done to stop the nearly incredible brutality of recent years. I acknowledge that crime is uglier and more debased than ever, but this speech gives all the reasons why I believe that responding to brutality with brutality will only make it worse.
-Mario Cuomo More than Words, The Speeches of Mario Cuomo, 1993
