Death Penalty in Virginia

Virginia’s recent enactment of a law abolishing the death penalty—the first Southern state to do so—is a remarkable development. Over the course of American history, no state has executed more people than Virginia. And between 1976 and 2020 only one state (Texas) has more frequently resorted to capital punishment. Is Virginia’s decision to abolish the death penalty simply evidence of a politically and culturally changing Commonwealth or does it portend abolitionist developments throughout the country and the world? This course will be graded CR/NC.