MARYLAND (USA): GOVERNOR O'MALLEY MAKES DEATH PENALTY REPEAL A PRIORITY

At a press conference with leaders of the NAACP, Maryland's Governor Martin O'Malley announced he will be making the repeal of capital punishment a priority in the upcoming legislative session and will submit a repeal bill to the legislature later this week.
Among the concerns about the death penalty expressed by the governor were its high costs and the lack of any benefit to society: “Is it worth wasting taxpayer dollars on a policy that does not work?” Senate President Mike Miller, white, Democratic, who supports the death penalty, said the bill will be given a vote in the full Senate and will likely pass this year. Maryland has not had an execution or death sentence since 2005, and the state's lethal injection procedures have not been approved by the courts.