Virginia Outlaws Death Penalty, First Southern State To Do So
Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam (D) has signed legislation outlawing capital punishment and the death penalty making it the first southern state to do so. Virginia’s state House voted 57-41 in favor of the bill and the Senate then voted 22-16 in February. Virginia has executed more than 1,300 people since 1608. “If we can do it, surely other states can make this happen,” said the Rev. LaKeisha Cook, who works as a criminal justice reform organizer of the Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy. “Because truth be told, people probably never even expected Virginia to be able to abolish the deat...