Christian Science Monitor Op-Ed: A pragmatic case for repeal

Death penalty: A pragmatic case for repeal

Momentum in the states is shifting toward the repeal of the death penalty. There are practical reasons for this: The death penalty is expensive, it does not work, and it is administered with a clear racial bias. Repealing it is a matter of justice, public safety, and effective governance.

By Benjamin Todd Jealous, Martin O’Malley / April 24, 2013

Kirk Bloodsworth, left, the first American sentenced to death row who was exonerated by DNA, and NAACP President Ben Jealous celebrate in the House gallery after the Maryland General Assembly approved the repeal of the death penalty in Annapolis, Md., March 15. Op-ed contributors Mr. Jealous and Gov. Martin O’Malley write: ‘Most troubling is the very real possibility that an innocent person can be put to death.’
Patrick Semansky/AP/file

Annapolis, Md.

Next month Maryland will become the sixth state in six years to abolish the death penalty. The Free State is the first state south of the Mason-Dixon Line to repeal capital punishment, and we believe that other states will soon follow.

There are practical reasons why momentum is steadily shifting toward repeal: The death penalty is expensive, it does not work, and it is administered with a clear racial bias. Repealing it is a matter of justice, a matter of public safety, and a matter of effective governance.

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