Two months after Utah executed a condemned killer by firing squad, a community coalition opposed to capital punishment is trying to foster a statewide conversation to end its use.

Utahns for Alternatives to the Death Penalty (UTADP) wants to see life in prison without the possibility of parole become the state’s only punishment for convicted murderers.

Capital punishment costs too much, takes too long, and doesn’t adequately help families of murder victims, said Ralph Dellapiana, a Salt Lake City public defender.

“We want a system that is faster, cheaper and serves the needs of victims better,” said Dellapiana, who represents Utahns charged with capital crimes. “Having life without parole being the maximum sentence achieves all of those goals.”

More than a dozen UTDAP members spent a day this past week in a strategy session with national death penalty abolitionists trying to map out a plan to build grass-roots support for their cause.

They hope to persuade state leaders to place a moratorium on executions while an appointed commission can study the impact of the death penalty in Utah.

By JENNIFER DOBNER
The Associated Press

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