FACT SHEET
/ virginia
interfaith
center
FOR PUBLIC POLICY
1716 East Franklin Street, Richmond, VA 23223
804-643-2474 * www.virginiainterfaithcenter.org
Abolish the Death Penalty in Virginia
HB ** — Del. Herring or Del. Mullin
SB ** — Sen. Scott Surovell
Problem: Since the resumption of capital punishment
in 1976, Virginia has executed 113 people, second only
to Texas during that time. Since 1976, there have been
172 persons convicted and sentenced to death who have
been released from death row with evidence of their
innocence. In that same time period, there have been
1,524 executions. That’s a ratio of one innocent person
for every nine executed!
Policy solution: HB **/sB ** would abolish the
death penalty in Virginia, including for those currently
sentenced to death. The default sentence for capital
murder would then be life in prison without parole.
Reasons to abolish the death penalty:
Bias in Its Application — Research has shown that a
person is more than three times as likely to be sentenced
to death when the murder victim is white versus when
the victim is black. In Virginia, murder convictions
ending in the death penalty are twice as likely in
suburban and rural jurisdictions as in urban jurisdictions.
Most of Virginia Abandoned It Long Ago — No one has
been sentenced to death in Virginia since September
2011, nearly ten years ago. And the U.S. Fourth Circuit
Court overturned that death sentence.
In most of Virginia, the death penalty is no longer used.
Over the 133 local jurisdictions in the commonwealth:
19 localities have never had an execution (14%)
32 jurisdictions have not had an execution in over 100
years (24%)
+ 68 localities have not had an execution in over 50
years (51%)
Since 1976, seven jurisdictions (Chesterfield, Fairfax,
Hampton, Pittsylvania, Portsmouth, Prince William, and
Virginia Beach) account for 41% of the executions. Just
three jurisdictions (Chesterfield, Prince William, and
Virginia Beach) have had 23% of Virginia’s executions.
The Death Penalty Is Expensive — While there has never
been a cost analysis of Virginia’s death penalty, studies in
other states demonstrate that the death penalty costs
significantly more than life in prison without parole.
Life in prison without parole protects the public from
dangerous criminals at a significantly lower cost. Cost
savings from abolishing the death penalty could be used
to investigate unsolved cold cases or provide financial
and counseling assistance to victims of violent crimes.
No Deterrent Value — In 2012 the prestigious National
Research Council of the National Academies concluded
that there is no credible evidence that the death penalty
deters homicide. In fact, states without the death
penalty have consistently had lower murder rates than
death penalty states.
Public Opinion — Public opinion polls show a consistent
decrease in support for the death penalty over the past
13 years. Support for the death penalty is now the
lowest that it has been since 1972. Several recent polls
have shown that a clear majority of voters prefer a
punishment other than death for capital murder.
Few states still carry out executions — Twenty-two
states have abolished the death penalty. The District of
Columbia has also abolished the death penalty. Three
other states have execution moratoriums ordered by
their Governors. Another nine states have not carried
out an execution in over ten years.
Sources: American Civil Liberties Union, Death Penalty Information
Center, The Death Penalty in 2019: Year End Report, NAACP Legal
Defense Fund, Virginians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty,
Virginia Joint Legislative and Review Commission of the Virginia
General Assembly, Review of Virginia’s System of Capital Punishment
The Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy advocates social, economic, and environmental justice
in Virginia's policies and practices through education, prayer, and action.
