Virginia, which holds the record for executions on US soil, became the first state in the former South of racial discrimination to abolish the death penalty yesterday.
“Today there is no place for the death penalty in this state, in the South and in this country,” Democratic Gov. Ralph Northham said during a ceremony at Greensville Jail, where executions have taken place so far.
The abolition of the death penalty is “the right thing to do”, the governor said, adding that the move would help reform an imperfect justice system.
«We can not impose this ultimate punishment without being 100% sure that we are right and we can not impose this ultimate punishment on someone knowing that the system does not work the same way for the whole world“, He explained, emphasizing that 296 of the 377 prisoners executed during the 20th century were African-Americans.
After very tense discussions, the deputies in the two bodies of the State voted in favor of the abolition of the death penalty at the beginning of the year.
Virginia follows the other 22 states where the last of the sentences has been abolished, but its decision is even more symbolic, as no South American state has yet taken this step.
Governor Northam underscored Virginia’s “long and complicated” history of “racism and discrimination in our past being repeated in our (judicial) system today.”
European settlers who settled in Jamestown in 1608 proceeded to what is considered to be the first execution on American soil, that of a commander accused of espionage.
Since, Virginia executed 1,391 convicts, according to the Death Penalty Information Center (DPIC), more than in any other US territory.
Also, the first slaves from Africa arrived in Virginia in 1619.
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