state of civil and political rights:death row: Maryland abolished the death penalty in May 2013, but law was not made retroactive so 5 remain on death row. (as of April 1, 2013, source: DPIC)year of last executions: 0-0-0death sentences: 0international treaties on human rights and the death penalty:The method of execution is injection. The prisoner has choice of gas chamber if sentenced before 3/11/94. The sentence is determined by a jury. The death row is located at Baltimore. As for the clemency process, the Governor has sole authority to grant clemency. On December 19, 2006, an appeals court in Maryland ruled that state executions cannot proceed until a legislative panel reviews parts of the manual that spell out the protocol for lethal injections. The Maryland Court of Appeals said the manual was never given a public hearing or properly submitted to a joint committee before the Department of Corrections adopted it. The manual defines which drugs are used in a lethal injection and how the injection occurs. Like many states, Maryland uses three drugs during executions. Sodium pentothal makes the inmate unconscious, pancurium bromide paralyzes the inmate's breathing, and potassium chloride stops the heart. The court said that the protocol outlined in the manual appears to be consistent with state law, but that the legislative committee charged with reviewing the protocol "may have a different view." Under state law, lawmakers must review the protocol before it is approved.