Abolish the death penalty, ministers say

RICHMOND, Va. (WDBJ) - Opponents of capital punishment are hoping this will be the year that Virginia abolishes the death penalty.

Thursday morning, a group of African American ministers spoke out during a virtual news conference organized by the Virginia Interfaith Center. They said the death penalty is rooted in racism, and linked to the history of lynching. Studies in other states, they said, have also questioned its value in deterring crime.

Rev. Marvin Warner is a minister in Danville.

“And so public opinion is swayed to the fact that the death penalty over the last 13 years is not supported by the majority of the people here in the Commonwealth,” Warner said.

State lawmakers will take up the issue when the General Assembly convenes next week.