Virginia governor signs bill abolishing death penalty

RICHMOND, Va. (CNN) – Virginia has become the 23rd state to remove the death penalty from its books.

On Wednesday, Democratic Governor Ralph Northam signed a bill to abolish capital punishment.

The ceremony was held at the Greensville Corrections Center, which houses the state’s death chamber.

Northam said Virginia should not sentence people to death while fully knowing the system doesn’t work the same for everyone.

During the legislative debate, democrats pointed out to wrongful convictions and racial disparities in applying the death penalty.

But some Republicans argued that capital punishment still provides justice for the victims of the most heinous crimes.

The new law goes into effect in July and the state’s two death row inmates will have their sentences commuted to life in prison.

Virginia is the first southern state to repeal the death penalty since the U.S. Supreme Court reinstated it in 1976.

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