Governor Martin O’Malley(D) signed legislation that goes into effect this October officially repealing the death penalty in the state of Maryland this morning. The goveronor’s office, in light of the new bill, will commute all death penalty sentences to life imprisonment. The office released the following statement courtesy of governor.maryland.gov:
“Strategies like establishing the Maryland Center for School Safety, which we’re signing into law today. Strategies that have enabled us to drive down violent crime and homicide in our State to three decade lows…We also have a moral responsibility to stop doing the things that are wasteful, and that are expensive, and that do not work. Therefore, we are signing into law today a repeal on the death penalty in Maryland.”
Lt. Governor Anthony Brown:
“We have a responsibility to do everything in our power to hold violent criminals accountable, but the facts prove that the death penalty is racially biased, demonstrably unreliable, and an ineffective deterrent to crime..In Maryland, justice will be appropriately severe for horrible crimes while we still remain committed to fairness and equality within our criminal justice system.”
—Alexis Holliday
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