Md. begins death penalty review

ANNAPOLIS, MD – (AP) The death penalty in Maryland is under review.

A panel of supporters and opponents of the death penalty start work Monday on a study of whether to abolish capital punishment in Maryland.

The group includes former U.S. Attorney General Benjamin Civiletti, who served under President Carter, and Kirk Bloodsworth, a former Maryland death row inmate whose case was the first capital conviction overturned as a result of DNA testing in the United States.

Correctional officers and relatives of crime victims are also on the panel.

The commission was established in the last legislative session.

The commission will submit a report on its findings and recommendations to the General Assembly by December.