Repeal of death penalty gaining momentum

He’s already made his position clear on the matter. His commentary, ‘‘Why I Oppose the Death Penalty,” was printed in The Washington Post on Feb. 21, 2007. Citing Maryland’s execution of John Thanos for the random murder of three teenagers, he wrote, ‘‘Did this one relatively humane execution balance out a violent murder — much less three violent murders? Can any execution really be said to ‘even the ledger’ for the taking of another’s unique life?”

The governor answers no, because the death penalty does not balance the demands of justice, it distorts them. He is joined by an increasing number of victims’ family members, like Vicki and Syl Schieber of Chevy Chase whose daughter was murdered. They oppose the death penalty because their daughter opposed it, and because they know that the pursuit of capital punishment prolongs suffering of surviving families, sometimes for decades, and ‘‘revictimizes” them with every court hearing.

Law enforcement officers also favor repealing the death penalty and replacing it with life without the possibility of parole. As the governor once testified, avoiding the high cost of the machinery of death would mean nearly $22 million for 500 additional police officers, protective equipment that saves officers’ lives, or drug treatment for 10,000 of our addicted neighbors. Unlike the death penalty, these are investments that can actually spare more potential victims of violent crime.

And there are savings of another kind. Since 1976, while there have been 1,099 executions nationally, there have been 126 exonerations of innocent people from death row. That is one exoneration for every nine executions.

With an error rate that high, it is reasonable to conclude that some of the executed also were innocent.

Maryland occupies a unique place in the history of exonerations, being home to the first DNA-based exoneration in the country: Kirk Bloodsworth, who spent eight years in prison before being freed.

Public support for capital punishment has reached its lowest level in 25 years, following a decline in support for five straight years. A poll commissioned last year by the Maryland Catholic Conference found that 61 percent of Maryland voters believe that life without parole is an acceptable substitute for the death penalty.

New Jersey’s recent abolition of its death penalty has shown that gubernatorial leadership matters. With Governor O’Malley’s continuing leadership, Maryland can join its neighbor in the vanguard of a growing national movement that is intent, in the spirit of a civilized society that values due process, on abolishing this anachronistic institution.

The Maryland public is prepared to take the governor’s lead in supporting life without possibility of parole over capital punishment. And despite reported hurdles, the General Assembly is closer to repealing the death penalty than it has ever been. All eyes in Maryland — and the eyes of many across the country — are on Governor O’Malley. We stand ready to support his lead. We are confident the great majority of Marylanders will, as well.

Susan Goering is executive director, American Civil Liberties Union of Maryland; Richard Dowling is executive director Maryland Catholic Conference; and Jane Henderson is executive director, Maryland Citizens Against State Executions.