In this new year, we Virginians have the rare chance to effect positive change to our judicial system - a system that has institutionalized inequity and unjust applications of the law against marginalized communities for years. As students of Virginia’s law schools, we take seriously the responsibility to shape our legal system and are compelled to take a stand in the face of institutional failures. This General Assembly session, state legislators will have the opportunity to vote on a House and a Senate bill to abolish capital punishment in Virginia. The death penalty is rooted in systemic racism and reflects our country’s history of oppression and injustice. We, the undersigned, are united in our request that the Virginia General Assembly formally abolish capital punishment during the current session.

The year 2020 taught us many lessons, but one was particularly critical: to take a stand for racial justice and to do so loudly - not only advocating for equitable treatment of vulnerable populations, but implementing real change to archaic institutions. The death penalty is ineffective as a deterrent and gives the state the final word on another human’s life. It is rooted in revenge, economically inefficient, and is riddled with racial bias.

In Virginia, the death penalty is a remnant of the Jim Crow era. Today, a Black person is seven times more likely to be sentenced to death for a crime than their white counterpart. In addition, only four wealthy suburban jurisdictions (out of 133) have been the driving force behind death penalty sentences since 1982. Equality, justice and uniformity of the law are cornerstones of our judicial system—capital punishment ignores these.

To those still in favor of capital punishment, we urge you to reflect on the words of Bryan Stevenson, founder of the Equal Justice Initiative - Stevenson once said that the threshold question for the death penalty should not be “Do people deserve to die for the crimes they have committed?” but rather, “Do we deserve to kill?” In a penal system full of human error, racial bias, class bias, and arbitrary application, the answer to the latter question must be a resounding no.

We must acknowledge our past and collectively work towards a better future for our commonwealth. Virginia is second only to Texas in executions since 1976.  The era of state-sanctioned vengeance killings can end with us. This month, the Virginia General Assembly has the opportunity to be the first southern state to abolish capital punishment and be an example to the remaining twenty-five states still actively using the death penalty.

We, the undersigned Virginia law students, call for an end to capital punishment in Virginia. Staying silent is no longer an option. Now is the time to let our voices be heard.

Sign this petition, call, write, and email your state legislators. Urge them to vote in favor of abolishing capital punishment. Share this petition with five friends and ask them to do the same. Governor Northam has said that he would sign an abolition bill should it appear on his desk. We have never been closer to eradicating the death penalty in Virginia. Our actions in the coming months must reflect the urgency of this opportunity, and what it would mean for the lives of the current two inmates on Virginia’s death row, their families, and future defendants in our commonwealth. This is a question of justice and equity, of attempting to repair a broken system and fix the wrongs of our past. Demonstrate your support by signing this petition and help put an end to the death penalty.