A bill that would allow Indianapolis relatives of murder victims to witness the execution of those convicted of the crime gained traction in the Indiana House last week. The House Courts and Criminal Code Committee endorsed the bill 7-1 and sent it to the full House. It already had won overwhelming approval in the Senate.
Under current law, family members of victims are not allowed to witness executions without permission from the inmate who will be put to death. The inmate is allowed to choose up to 10 people to watch the execution.
There have been times when a condemned prisoner allows relatives of the victim or victims to view the execution, but that is entirely up to the inmate.
Sen. Thomas Wyss, R-Fort Wayne, told the committee last week that he learned about the current law during a tour of the Indiana State Prison in Michigan City, where death row inmates are held and executions are carried out. He said he was surprised that relatives of murder victims needed permission from the inmate to view executions.
The legislation would allow up to eight adult members of a murder victim's family to witness an execution, and the inmate could select five other witnesses instead of the 10 allowed now. The Department of Correction plans to install a partition to separate the viewing room into two areas if the bill becomes law.
Rep. Trent Van Haaften, D-Mount Vernon, asked Wyss whether his bill was a move toward public executions.
Wyss said it was not and he also did not look at it as revenge. It was simply about the state showing families that it was sympathetic about their loss, he said.
Glenn Tebbe, executive director of the Indiana Catholic Conference, testified against the bill, saying it indirectly supported a cycle of violence and would not help victims' relatives achieve closure. Tebbe also said that dying was a sacred and private time, and even those being executed for murder deserved such dignity.
Rep. Greg Porter, D-Indianapolis, was the lone committee member who voted against the bill. He said he did so because he opposed capital punishment.