Maryland Governor testifies against death penalty

Earlier today in Maryland, the newly sworn in Governor Martin O'Malley testified before a legislative panel that the death penalty was inhumane and ineffective. In a courageous move, Governor O'Malley is testifying on behalf of legislation that would repeal the death penalty in the state of Maryland; legislation that was not, as the Washington Post article notes, a part of his campaign platform.

This kind of brave political and moral leadership is just what the death penalty abolition movement requires. Just as former Governor Kernan recently called for a moratorium along with other members of the ABA assessment team, Governor O'Malley is speaking his mind on the issue, and quite articulately at that.

Hitting all the right notes, Governor O'Malley cites excessive cost, lack of deterrence, arbitrary sentencing and issues of innocence and wrongful conviction as well as moral reasons for his opposition. In addition, he astutely points out that the money wasted on capital cases could be used instead to better the lives of Maryland residents and aid law enforcement and social service agencies in preventing future crime.

We hope that the political voices that have recently become outspoken against the death penalty are simply the beginning of a larger trend indicating that citizens and politicians are fed up with the broken system of capital punishment. Hopefully this kind of political pioneering emboldens those who have had their doubts to speak up and call for a thorough examination of the death penalty and its role in society.