State Representative Steven Roberts represents Missouri’s 77th District which encompasses the city of St. Louis. As a fierce supporter of criminal justice reform, State Representative Roberts sponsored legislation in January,2018 that would abolish the death penalty in the state of Missouri.
House Bill 2218 would
repeal the provisions that currently allow the use of the death penalty and
specifies that any person sentenced to death prior to August 28, 2018, must
instead be sentenced by the court to life imprisonment without eligibility for
probation, parole, or release, except by act of the Governor.
One of the
reasons Rep. Steven Roberts introduced the bill is that studies from numerous
organizations and universities have found that race and poverty play a
significant role in whether a person is sentenced to death.Referred to the
Crime Prevention and Public Safety Committee in May 2018, State Representative Steven Roberts intends to refile the bill during theGeneral Assembly of 2019.
