Legal Commentary

Time For an Up-Or-Down Death Penalty Vote in MD

By TChris

A bill to repeal the death penalty in Maryland has for years fallen one vote shy of being recommended to the full Senate. A Washington Post editorial explains why this is the year the full Senate should consider (and pass) the bill.

Even some supporters of the death penalty admit that the evidence presented by the Maryland Commission on Capital Punishment was compelling. The commission, chaired by former U.S. attorney general Benjamin Civiletti, concluded that capital punishment has little deterrent effect on murder and that the extended legal proceedings may add to the anguish of the victim's family. The commission also found that capital punishment is applied inconsistently across the state and that prosecutors are more likely to pursue a death sentence if the victim is white.

It's time for an up-or-down vote in the full Senate. Members of the deadlocked committee should give the full Senate a chance to decide the question.

Full post as published by TalkLeft on February 06, 2009 (boomark / email).