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Wrong Direction for Death Penalty

By Steve Hall

That's the title of an editorial in today's Virginian Pilot. Sen. Mark Obenshain is once again pushing a proposal to expand Virginia's use of capital punishment by doing away with the so-called "triggerman rule." The move comes despite the state's reputation for putting to death more people - 108 - than any other state except Texas since 1976. The bill is an unfortunate piece of legislation that, if history is any indicator, would ultimately cost taxpayers more and do little or nothing to deter crime. Worse, it's not needed. Exceptions to the triggerman rule already exist, as the Teresa Lewis case and others have shown. And: Unfortunately, Obenshain's proposal could open the door to more instances in which defendants who never pulled the trigger end up on death row...continue to full post

Full post as published by StandDown Texas Project on February 01, 2011 (boomark / email).