Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley (pictured) has said that he plans on supporting recently introduced legislation to repeal the state’s death penalty. “I’ve had a pretty consistent position on this. Now that it’s salient, I’m certainly not going to try to duck or hide. I would like to see us repeal the death penalty,” stated O’Malley, who has argued that the death penalty is not a deterrent and that money spent on prosecuting death penalty cases could be better spent fighting violent crime.

The proposed legislation would replace Maryland’s death penalty with life without parole. Maryland Senator Lisa A. Gladden, the bill’s lead sponsor in the Maryland Senate, said that she believes the bill could be passed this year. Delegate Samuel I. Rosenberg, the measure’s chief sponsor in the House of Delegates, echoed Gladden’s enthusiasm for the bill and added, “The time and effort litigating these cases, that goes into legislating this issue, could be spent on preventative measures that make each and every citizen more safe in their home.”

Maryland Senate President Thomas Mike V. Miller, Jr., a capital punishment supporter, said he thinks there needs to be a “healthy debate” on the subject. He said he would not block efforts to consider the measure, stating, “I realize the trend is against the death penalty.” The bill comes just weeks after a court ordered Maryland to halt executions until new regulations on lethal injection are put forward by the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services.

(Washington Post, January 26, 2007). See Recent Legislative Activities. See also, Lethal Injections and Life Without Parole.