Tuesday, February 23, 2021
"An important step forward"
State of Virginia abolishes the death penalty
In the US, the death penalty is on the decline. With Virginia, another state now waives executions. 113 people have been executed in the southern state since 1976.
The death penalty is abolished in the US state of Virginia. Both houses of the state parliament voted in favor of the abolition, leaving only the signature of Governor Ralph Northam missing. His approval is considered certain. "This is an important step forward in ensuring that our criminal justice system is fair and equitable," said Northam in a joint statement with House Chairwoman Eileen Filler-Corn and Senate Majority Leader Dick Saslaw. In the US, 22 of the 50 states have so far abolished the death penalty.
"In Virginia's long history, this state has executed more people than any other state," the statement said. "It is time we put an end to this machinery of death." The death penalty is not a fair and effective instrument of criminal justice, it said. Since 1976, there have been 113 executions in the state, according to the Death Penalty Information Center.
Overall, the death penalty is on the decline in the US. In many places this has to do with changing public opinion, but also with increasing difficulties in obtaining the substances required for lethal injection. In addition, the death penalty tends to lead to lengthy – and costly – legal disputes.
According to the Death Penalty Information Center, a total of 17 people were executed by five states and the federal government in the United States in 2020. The federal government had not carried out the death penalty for almost two decades. However, the administration of ex-President Donald Trump pushed through its reintroduction. New President Joe Biden opposes the death penalty.
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