ACLU Report Finds Virginia’s Death Penalty Riddled With Flaws, Recommends Reforms

In a report exam­in­ing Virginia’s death penal­ty sys­tem, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has urged the state to enact a mora­to­ri­um on exe­cu­tions until its flawed cap­i­tal pun­ish­ment sys­tem is reformed. The report, ​“Broken Justice: The Death Penalty in Virginia,” reviews issues such as the qual­i­ty of defense coun­sel, pros­e­cu­to­r­i­al mis­con­duct, racial bias, inno­cence, and the exe­cu­tion of those with men­tal retar­da­tion and juve­nile offend­ers. The find­ings, which were endorsed by a coali­tion of civic orga­ni­za­tions in Virginia, led the ACLU to pro­pose nine key reforms to improve sys­temic fair­ness. Among the rec­om­men­da­tions were elim­i­na­tion of Virginia’s 21-day rule, keep­ing detailed sta­tis­tics on all poten­tial cap­i­tal crimes, and hav­ing the Virginia Supreme Court record and pub­lish all exam­ples of pros­e­cu­to­r­i­al mis­con­duct. (Associated Press, November 13, 2003). Read the report. See Virginia and Innocence.