ACLU of Virginia responds to death penalty study

The American Bar Association (ABA) Death Penalty Due Process Review Project released its report, Evaluating Fairness and Accuracy in State Death Penalty Systems: The Virginia Death Penalty Assessment Report, which looked at the fairness and accuracy of Virginia’s capital punishment system, on Thursday.

ACLU of Virginia Executive Director Claire Guthrie Gastañaga issued the following statement on the report:

“Ten years ago we documented serious flaws in the administration of the death penalty in Virginia. Unfortunately, as the ABA report demonstrates, many of these same flaws continue to plague our capital punishment system. Absent the abolition of the death penalty, we urge the General Assembly, Supreme Court of Virginia, and all other relevant government entities to take the steps needed to address the problems and implement the recommendations made by us a decade ago and by the ABA today. The Commonwealth must do everything in its power to guarantee the rights of all capital defendants, and ensure that no innocent person is put to death in our name.”