Maryland Commission Votes for Death Penalty Repeal
On Wednesday, the Maryland Commission on Capital Punishment voted to recommend repealing the death penalty in Maryland. The Commission was created by the Maryland General Assembly to conduct a thorough study of capital punishment in that state. After five public hearings and hours of testimony from both experts and the general public, the Commission determined that Maryland’s death penalty is:
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Racially and geographically biased
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More expensive
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Harmful to victims’ families
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Not a deterrent.
The Commission also concluded that there is a “real possibility of wrongly executing an innocent person” in Maryland.
The Commission’s final report is due on December 15, and then, beginning in January of 2009, the General Assembly will decide on whether to finally abolish capital punishment Maryland.
Victims' families before the Commission urging repeal
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Tags: abolish the death penalty, amnesty international, capital punishment, death penalty, human rights, Maryland, Maryland Comm, repeal
November 13th, 2008 at 4:28 pm
This is great news and hopefully the first step toward complete abolition in Maryland. When was the last time an execution was carried out in that state? I’m just curious because I don’t think I’ve ever heard of one.
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November 14th, 2008 at 11:26 am
The last execution in Maryland was on December 5, 2005, when Wesley Baker was executed … There have only been 5 executions since capital punishment was reinstated in 1978 …
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