Urge Governor Ehrlich to Reinstate Death Penalty Moratorium in Maryland

Below is a sample letter. To find out more, read our January 7, 2003 press release U.S.: Maryland Urged to Continue Death Penalty Moratorium.

The Honorable Robert Ehrlich
Governor of Maryland
State House
100 State Circle
Annapolis, MD 21401

Dear Governor Ehrlich:

I write to urge you to continue Maryland’s moratorium on capital punishment. A major study just released raises serious concerns about fairness in the application of the death penalty in your state. Lifting the moratorium and carrying out executions in spite of these systemic problems would be unjust and will erode public confidence in the fairness of the criminal justice system in Maryland.

A comprehensive study prepared by the University of Maryland found significant racial and geographic disparities in the administration of the death penalty in Maryland. According to the study, “offenders who kill white victims, especially if the offender is black, are significantly and substantially more likely to be charged with a capital crime.” The study also found that the use of the death penalty varies widely from county to county. These findings raise serious questions not only about the fairness of the Maryland’s criminal justice system, but also the possibility that the bias and arbitrariness inherent in the application of capital punishment may result in the execution of the innocent.

Governor Glendening halted executions last year pending the release of the University of Maryland study, citing concerns about possible bias. You have indicated your intention to lift the moratorium even though the University of Maryland study documents serious flaws in your state’s death penalty system. Four prisoners – one-third of Maryland’s death row – have exhausted all their appeals and could be executed immediately if you do so. The current moratorium should remain in place at least until the problems the report describes can be thoroughly considered and remedied by your office and the Maryland legislature.

I urge you to address the problems in Maryland’s death penalty documented by the University of Maryland study. I hope you will continue a moratorium and support the efforts of the legislature to resolve these issues. I look forward to hearing your response.

Sincerely,

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