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Virginia Becomes First Southern State to Abolish Death Penalty

HeadlineMar 25, 2021

Virginia has become the first state in the South to outlaw capital punishment. Democratic Governor Ralph Northam signed legislation Wednesday abolishing the death penalty.

Gov. Ralph Northam: “I can say that the death penalty is fundamentally flawed. Most importantly, we know that the system doesn’t always get it right.”

Since 1976, when the Supreme Court reinstated the death penalty, Virginia has carried out 113 executions, more than any state besides Texas.

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