Virginia Abolishes Death Penalty In A Surprisingly 'Progressive Move,' Says Former Suffolk County Sheriff Andrea Cabral

Virginia Death Penalty — Prison guards stand outside the entrance to the Greensville Correctional Center, where executions used to be carried out, in Jarratt, Va.

Hannah Uebele is a producer for Under the Radar with Callie Crossley and previously worked as associate producer for Boston Public Radio. She graduated from Tufts University with a B.S. in English and Environmental Studies. She's a proud Delawarean but has found herself saying "wicked" more and more often, so the Bostonian metamorphosis is well underway.Contact: hannah_uebele@wgbh.org

February 25, 2021

Updated August 07, 2023

Virginia lawmakers officially abolished the death penalty in the state on Monday. The federal government, along with 27 other states, still allows the use of capital punishment. Former Suffolk County Sheriff Andrea Cabral spoke to Boston Public Radio on Thursday about the significance of this decision.

"Virginia had been the leading state in executions for many many years," she said. "They very recently decided to abolish the death penalty, which, to some degree, came as a surprise just because of their history. But it is seen as a very progressive move."

If a state like Virginia can abolish the death penalty, it can serve as a model for other states and the federal government to follow, Cabral said. "There's certainly hope that Joe Biden will do something about that at the federal level, which will be a strong signal as well," she said.

Andrea Cabral is a weekly Boston Public Radio contributor. She's the former Suffolk County sheriff and Massachusetts secretary of public safety, and she's currently CEO of the cannabis company Ascend.