Pennsylvania has one of the largest death rows in the country, with more than 100 individuals currently sentenced to die. Yet, Pennsylvania has not executed anyone since 1999. The death penalty is not making Pennsylvanians safer — it is draining public funds, perpetuating injustice and putting innocent lives at risk, all while communities like the Lehigh Valley are left without the support and services we actually need.
Lehigh County and Northampton County law enforcement officials pursued the death penalty in recent years although the state has not executed anyone since 1999. This highlights one of the most troubling aspects of the death penalty: geography, not justice, often determines who lives and who dies. A person convicted of the same crime might receive life in prison in Montgomery County, but face execution elsewhere in the state.
That inconsistency is part of the problem. So is the cost. Since 1978, Pennsylvania has spent about $272 million per execution on the death penalty, including long trials, appeals that stretch for decades, and the high cost of housing people on death row under maximum security conditions. What has all this money accomplished? Three executions in 46 years all involving people who voluntarily gave up their appeals.
According to an investigation by The Reading Eagle, the cost of sentencing 408 individuals to death is about $816 million higher than the cost of life without parole. We are pouring tax dollars into a system that does not deliver justice or serve the public.
Here in the Lehigh Valley, many families are already facing economic strain, underresourced schools and limited access to mental health care. The death penalty is a moral and financial failure. Imagine what almost $1 billion could do if invested in resources that would actually improve public safety and support healing such as trauma recovery centers, victim compensation and better access to mental health and addiction services.
Equally troubling is the racial injustice embedded in the system. In Pennsylvania, Black defendants are far more likely to be sentenced to death, especially if the victim is white. These disparities are reflected across counties, including in ours. A justice system that delivers different outcomes based on race or ZIP code cannot claim to be fair.
And we know the system gets it wrong. Since 1978, 11 people have been exonerated from Pennsylvania’s death row — meaning they were sentenced to die for crimes they did not commit. The death penalty carries the irreversible risk of executing the innocent. That should be unacceptable to anyone who believes in due fairness and basic human rights.
Gov. Josh Shapiro has made his position clear: He will not sign any execution warrants and supports ending the death penalty. But the law has not changed, and prosecutors, including those right here in the Lehigh Valley, can still pursue death sentences. That is why local action matters. Our community has a real opportunity to lead the charge for meaningful change.
We need our district attorneys and state legislators in the Lehigh Valley to recognize that the death penalty is ineffective and outdated. We need them to stop seeking death in new cases and support statewide efforts to end capital punishment once and for all. We also need residents, from students and educators to faith leaders and business owners, to speak out and demand better.
Ending the death penalty in Pennsylvania does not mean individuals are off the hook. It means choosing a system that holds people accountable without risking irreversible mistakes. It means investing in what works, and letting go of what does not. Most of all, it means living up to the values we hold true in the Lehigh Valley: fairness, accountability, and the belief that no system should be allowed to take a life it cannot guarantee was guilty.
We are ready for a better way forward. Let the Lehigh Valley lead the way to ending the death penalty in Pennsylvania.
This is a contributed opinion column. Lauren Humphrey is a Bethlehem resident and a researcher for Pennsylvanians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty. The views expressed in this piece are those of its individual author and should not be interpreted as reflecting the views of this publication. Do you have a perspective to share? Learn more about how we handle guest opinion submissions at themorningcall.com/opinions.
