Virginia is abolishing the death penalty: Here’s why it’s a big deal
LINDSEY GRADOWSKI: Virginia holds the distinction of having executed more people than any other state, starting in 1608. But now, Virginia is on the cusp of another superlative: becoming the first southern state to abolish the death penalty.
With the rise of immigration, suburbanization, and simple grassroots efforts, Virginia has shifted from a Republican stronghold to a solidly blue state in less than a generation. The Confederacy’s capital a century ago, Richmond has now joined areas of northern Virginia in shifting the state firmly to the left.
Why is this change so significant? On top of other liberal policies such as legalizing marijuana, Virginia Democrats have achieved something once thought impossible: getting a bill to abolish the death penalty through both the Virginia House and Senate.
In a 21-17 vote mostly along party lines, Virginia’s Senate voted to pass legislation abolishing the death penalty. The bill was originally co-sponsored in the Senate by Sen. Scott Surovell (D-36) and Sen. Bill Stanley (R-20), though Stanley later pulled his support and abstained from voting after negotiations fell through to amend the bill to ensure those on death row never got paroled. The House bill was sponsored by Del. Mike Mullin (D-93), which followed the Senate bill two days later by a 57-41 vote, again with Democrats largely supporting the bill and Republicans generally opposing it. Gov. Ralph Northam has voiced support for the legislation and is almost guaranteed to sign it into law.
State legislators cited the racial disparities and mistakes inherent in death penalty convictions as reasons why they supported death penalty abolition, with some specifically citing the Black Lives Matter movement when asked why now was the time for this legislation to be introduced and passed.
The passage of anti-death penalty legislation in Virginia signals to the rest of the United States that it is time for capital punishment to become a vestige of the past. In 2014, the National Academy of Sciences found that at least 4.1% of death row inmates in America are innocent. As of 2020, 106 countries had banned the death penalty. In some states, the death penalty cases can cost almost a million dollars more than their non-death penalty counterparts, because of the amount of resources that go into such high-stake trials. These costs include the increased number of lawyers for both the prosecution and defense, number of trials, and lengthy time period of the case. However, the notion that the death penalty is immoral and impractical is not new. The fact that a southern state is about to recognize that— that is new. Virginia’s legislation will act as a signal to other southern states that abolishing the death penalty is a good thing and will symbolize to the U.S. that we are ready to do away with such an evil thing as capital punishment.
This strong stance against the death penalty could not come at a more important time— a slew of federal executions in the last days of the Trump administration has left a dangerous precedent in its wake. Instead of decreasing the number of executed Americans, the former President emboldened states to execute more inmates in the future, improperly justifying their cruel and unusual punishments. We must reject that precedent and stand firm in the belief that giving the government the power to kill its citizens is wrong. Today, the state of Virginia did just that.
If the state with the most executions in U.S. history can finally stand up against the injustices and inaccuracies inherent in capital punishment, so can every other state in our nation. There is no excuse and no place for such inhumane laws to exist in America. Virginia took the first steps today towards recognizing a new, compassionate nation. One where perhaps we can finally live up to our pledge, where there is justice for all.
Lindsey Gradowski is a freshman in the College from Arlington, Virginia studying history and government.