Death Penalty Abolished in Virginia

Virginia is on a path of course correction, being the first state in the South to repeal the death penalty.

“The death penalty is the direct descendant of lynching. It is state-sponsored racism, and we have an opportunity to end this today,” 

Democratic Del. Jay Jones

Opponents of the death penalty cite the high cost, the possibility of executing the innocent, and the disproportionate racial impact. Black defendants are more likely to face death sentences, especially when victims are white.

There’s an opportunity to listen and read this story here: https://www.npr.org/2021/03/24/971866086/virginia-governor-signs-law-abolishing-the-death-penalty-a-1st-in-the-south