Capital News Service
RICHMOND – Death penalty opponents lost a battle this week when a House committee endorsed a bill to make electrocution the default punishment if lethal injection is unavailable.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia and Virginians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty opposed House Bill 815, which would allow the Virginia Department of Corrections to use the electric chair if lethal injection drugs are unavailable. The House Courts of Justice Committee voted 14-7 in favor of the measure on Wednesday. It is now before the full House of Delegates.
“There is no humane way to kill another human being,” said Michael Stone, the executive director of VADP. His group advocates for life in prison without parole as the maximum penalty for capital murder.
Stone fears that HB 815 will clear the House and go on to pass the Senate. He said it would be a step backward.
