Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro Thursday announced that he will not issue execution warrants while in office, thus continuing a moratorium on the death penalty in Pennsylvania. The governor also called on the PA General Assembly to abolish the death penalty in Pennsylvania.

Speaking in Philadelphia, Shapiro shared that his view of the use of the death penalty has changed over the years, specifically after speaking with families who lost loved ones in the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting that killed 11 people. However, Shapiro believes that the flaws in the capital sentencing system are not fixable, and the Commonwealth must abolish the death penalty. Shapiro emphasized that while the death penalty should no longer exist in Pennsylvania, people who are found guilty of especially heinous crimes still should face imprisonment, and in some cases, that imprisonment should be for life. Shapiro’s announcement comes only a month into his first term as governor. His predecesor Tom Wolf also did not sign any execution warrants during his two terms as governor.

Almost half of all US states have banned the death penalty. While usage of the death penalty decreased across the US in 2022, the execution of the death penalty was found to be “visibly problematic” in 35 percent of execution attempts in 2022.