Death Penalty Hearing in Judicial Proceedings Committee 2-18-09

When Governor O'Malley responded to a question about the death penalty from Baltimore Examiner reporter Len Lazarick last week, the Governor said that supporters of the death penalty "stand with North Korea, Iran and China." (Baltimore Examiner, February 15, 2009)

The Governor was a bit more conciliatory today when he appeared before the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee.  He urged committee members to pass the repeal bill out with a favorable report because "there is an array of facts and figures that illustrate that the death penalty is an expensive, outdated and utterly ineffective tool in deterring violent crime."

Supporters of the death penalty questioned the Governor's position in favor of repeal.  Representatives of police agencies, corrections officers and other organizations argued that the death penalty has been effective as a crime deterrent in Maryland. 

Committee members also heard from victims of crimes and states attorneys advocating that Maryland judges have been conscientious in applying the carefully-crafted sentencing guidelines so that the system in Maryland has not encountered misapplication or abuses as found in other states.  They referenced the findings of the minority report from the Maryland Commission on Capital Punishment to support this position.

Among supporters of the repeal effort, former Attorney General Joseph Curran asked that the bill be sent to the Senate floor in a legislative bypass of the committee system even if it loses in a committee vote.  He stated that such extraordinary procedures were used when he served in the legislature to move bills out of committee for a floor vote.

To review the report of the Maryland Commission on Capital Punishment click here.  The Minority Report that begins on page 129 provides extensive justification for why the death penalty should remain in effect in Maryland.