Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility Rabb renews call to repeal death penalty in Pennsylvania

Rabb renews call to repeal death penalty in Pennsylvania

Proposes bill abolishing death penalty for fourth time since 2017

Rep. Christopher M. Rabb    October 10, 2025 | 3:42 PM

HARRISBURG, Oct. 10 – State Rep. Chris Rabb today announced he will soon be reintroducing his legislation to repeal Pennsylvania’s death penalty.

“Data shows an overwhelmingly majority of Pennsylvanians recognize the death penalty is a failed policy rooted in vengeance, not justice,” said Rabb, D-Phila. “It has cost taxpayers millions, taken innocent lives, and done nothing to make our communities safer. Our justice system is far too flawed to justify a punishment that cannot be undone. One innocent life taken at the hands of the state is one too many. With growing, bipartisan support for the abolishment of the death penalty, Pennsylvania is strongly positioned to become the 24th state to repeal capital punishment.”

Rabb said recent polling shows a majority of Pennsylvania voters prefer life sentences versus the death penalty and there is bipartisan support in the General Assembly for legislation to abolish capital punishment.

According to a September statewide survey by Susquehanna Polling & Research, 58% of likely voters prefer some form of a life sentence for people convicted of murder, while just 29% favor the death penalty — a sharp drop from 42% who supported capital punishment in 2015.

The poll also found that a majority of Pennsylvanians (51%) have little or no trust in the government’s ability to apply the death penalty fairly and without bias. When asked why they preferred life sentences, nearly half (45%) cited the risk of executing an innocent person, while others pointed to moral objections and the potential for rehabilitation.

In an interview with Rabb, death row exoneree Jimmy Dennis described the harrowing details of how the death penalty played a role in him being wrongfully convicted and spending 25 years of his life in prison.

“I stand here as a free man after being wrongfully incarcerated for over 25 years,” Dennis said. “I was sentenced to die for a crime I did not commit – proof that the death penalty makes irreversible mistakes. If Pennsylvania truly values justice, we must repeal the death penalty before it takes another innocent life."

Rabb has introduced legislation to repeal the death penalty in every legislative session since taking office in 2017.