In Philadelphia alone a person is murdered nearly every day proving that the death penalty is an ineffective crime deterrent there, where over half of all Pennsylvania's death row inmates come from. The Penn State Justice Center for Research estimates that the death penalty has cost Pennsylvania almost $27 million since it was reinstated in the late 1970s. In that time on Pennsylvania's death row: 3 inmates have been executed, 6 people have been released after being proven innocent, and over 200 people remain there.

In light of the anticipated June 13, 2012 date to reveal the upcoming Pennsylvania State Budget We ask that, as a representative of our government for the People in the state of Pennsylvania, while you focus on saving jobs in Pennsylvania and putting Pennsylvania back to work that you remember the importance of investing in the arts and education over prohibitive programs like the death penalty. In 2002 the National Governor’s Association for Best Practices issued “The Impact of Arts Education on Workforce Preparation” it concluded with these two sentences:

“Diverse arts education programs- in and out of school curricula- have proven to be valuable options for states seeking to develop advanced workforce skills for general, at-risk, and incarcerated students. With the help of the arts, governors can ensure that skills are developed effectively, completely, and to the best advantage of the states and their constituencies.”

As the Pennsylvania Legislature studies the effectiveness of the death penalty in our state please consider that a moratorium, even over the two years of the study, could save millions of dollars, money that could instead be invested in those important arts and education programs in our state. In the pamphlet “Arts Programs for At Risk Youth. How US Communities are Using the Arts to Rescue Their Youth and Deter Crime” Janet Reno said
"Young people who are involved in making something beautiful today are less likely to turn to acts of violence and destruction tomorrow. The arts- whether they are during or after school- provide opportunities for youth from all backgrounds to do something positive and creative with their talents and their time. We all need to support the arts. In doing so, we are telling America’s youth that we believe in them and value what they can be."

Let us all truly invest in the best of Pennsylvania.