Maryland(US State) Votes to Abolish Death Penalty -Friday March 15,2013

The US state of Maryland is poised to abolish the death penalty after its lawmakers voted 82 to 56 in favour of the move.

The vote took place in the Maryland House of Delegates in the state capital, Annapolis. 80 Democrats and 2 Republicans voted for the bill, which needed 71 votes to pass. 18 Democrats joined 38 Republicans to vote against it.

The measure now needs to be signed by Governor Martin O'Malley to become law.

Maryland has had the death penalty since 1638 when the territory was a British colony.However, the state has neither sentenced anyone to death nor executed a prisoner since 2005.

However,opponents of the bill insisted capital punishment was a necessary tool to punish those who commit the most serious crimes

Note
Connecticut became the 17th state to repeal the death penalty in April 2012, meaning more than a third of the 50 states have now renounced executions.