USA - Maryland. The Maryland Commission on Capital Punishment voted 13-7 to recommend the abolition

The Maryland Commission on Capital Punishment voted 13-7 to make the recommendation in its report to lawmakers and the governor next month. The vote came after the failure of a proposed amendment to keep the death penalty for people who kill correctional officers or police officers. The report to the General Assembly is due Dec. 15. There is currently a de facto moratorium against capital punishment in Maryland because of a ruling on December 19, 2006  (see) by the state's highest court. The Court of Appeals found that the state's lethal injection protocols weren't properly approved by a legislative committee. Executions can't resume until a new protocol is created for the committee to approve. Gov. Martin O'Malley, a death penalty opponent, has directed the state to begin working on the protocol, a process that could be finished by the end of the year. O'Malley, a Democrat, supports a repeal, but a measure to abolish the death penalty during his 1st legislative session failed by 1 vote in a Senate committee (see March 15, 2007) . This year , a Senate committee voted to create the commission when it was clear the votes weren't there to send the bill to the full Senate (see March 19, 2008). Maryland has 5 men on death row. Only 5 inmates have been executed since Maryland reinstated the death penalty in 1978.