MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 26th March, 2021) After Virginia, the first Deep South state to abolish the death penalty, other states in the region should follow its lead, Mamie Locke, a Virginian senator from the Democratic party, told Sputnik.
On Wednesday, Virginia Governor Ralph Northam signed a historic bill putting an end to the death penalty in the state which has a long history of carrying out executions. Virginia became the first southern state and the 23rd US state to end the practice.
"This is a big step for Virginia to eliminate this barbaric practice that is not in keeping with the values on which the state was founded... Virginia is the first Deep South to eliminate the death penalty and others should follow Virginia's lead," Locke said.
The Deep South, a cultural and geographic subregion, includes Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina, Mississippi, and Louisiana. Sometimes, Texas, Florida and Arkansas are also included due to their common history.
When asked if the legislation may stir an uproar among the victims of the criminals who would now not be on death row, Locke replied that many Virginians support eliminating the measure.
"There are only 2 individuals currently on death row and those sentences will be commuted. There is nothing for which to be in an uproar about," she said.
Overall, some 1,400 people have been executed in Virginia since the colonial era. In modern times the state is the second on the list of states performing death penalties, following only Texas.
