Virginia may be first in south to abolish death penalty and abandon legalized lynching msn.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from msn.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Photo: Crixell Matthews/VPM News
A proposal to end the death penalty in Virginia is headed to the Senate floor. It has the support of some victim’s family members, who say they want to avoid lengthy trials and the painful rehashing of their loved one’s murders.
The Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee approved Senate Bill 1165 this week on a 12-4 vote and detailed some of the financial implications to the state.
The bill, if passed, would commute the sentences of two individuals who are currently on death row to life in prison.
A fiscal analysis found that eliminating the death penalty would cost about $77,000 because the Virginia Department of Corrections would have to continue housing those two individuals instead of putting them to death.
Over warnings it could endanger the lives of law enforcement officers, a bill that would abolish the death penalty in Virginia advanced out of the Senate Judiciary Committee Monday, largely
Gov. Ralph Northam will be introducing a bill to abolish the death penalty that, if successful, would make Virginia the first Southern state to end capital punishment.
By FRANK GREEN | Richmond Times-Dispatch
Gov. Ralph Northam will be introducing a bill to abolish the death penalty that, if successful, would make Virginia the first Southern state to end capital punishment.
âI understand about timing and I suspect this is the year to end the death penalty in Virginia,â Northam told the Richmond Times-Dispatch on Tuesday.
âIâve felt strongly about this for a long time,â the governor said. âWeâve been doing so much good work on equity, especially criminal justice reform, and we have the majority in the House and the Senate.â
Although abolition bills have been introduced in the General Assembly frequently in recent decades, this appears to be the first time one will be introduced by a governor. This yearâs regular session begins Wednesday.