Rendell calls for review of state death penalty

Pa. Gov. Ed Rendell says the state legislature needs to review the death penalty in order for it to be effective. The outgoing governor says the state should carry out more death sentences or replace the penalty with life sentences without the possibility of pardons, the Associated Press reports.
A letter Rendell sent to lawmakers today said he’s signed 119 death sentences in his two gubernatorial terms, but no one has been executed in the state since 1999. He described the system as an endless process of appeals, which if reformed, could make the death penalty a stronger crime deterrent.