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Maryland can do better when it comes to the death penalty, Baltimore County State's Attorney Scott D. Shellenberger said Thursday.

Shellenberger (D) said the state commission studying capital punishment, of which he is a member, has highlighted the need for a quick judicial process, reasonable compensation for defense attorneys and state-of-the-art crime labs.

But as the panel begins deliberating what it will recommend to Gov. Martin O'Malley (D), Shellenberger says the hearings have not changed his view that the death penalty is needed.

At the commission's next meeting Oct. 7, Shellenberger will present a review of appeals in the cases of five individuals who have been executed under Maryland's death penalty.

"From my point of view, in terms of victims and their families, I think 20 years is too long," he said of the lengthy appeals process in capital cases.

The 23-member Maryland Commission on Capital Punishment, created by legislation passed earlier this year and convened by O'Malley in June, is headed by Benjamin R. Civiletti, who served as President Jimmy Carter's attorney general. It includes victims' relatives, clergy, corrections and law enforcement officials and attorneys from around the state, as well as three state delegates and two state senators.

Both pro- and anti-death penalty views are represented on the panel, which has heard public testimony from both sides and will discuss the issues raised at meetings on Oct. 7 and Oct. 24.

Staff will write a draft report by Nov. 14. A final report is due Dec. 15.

Civiletti has said that, if necessary, he will allow as many minority reports as there are minority opinions.

On Sept. 22, the panel held the last of five public hearings that highlighted the racial, jurisdictional and socioeconomic disparities as well as the costs and impact on victims' families associated with capital punishment.

Advocates on either side of the debate said last week that they felt the hearings were conducted in a fair manner that allowed each side to be heard.

But that does not mean advocates have changed their positions.

"We heard overwhelming evidence of problems that I think are unfixable," said Jane Henderson, executive director of Maryland Citizens Against State Executions, who is not a panel member but has attended the hearings.

The commission gave anyone who wanted to testify on either side ample opportunity to do so, Shellenberger said, adding that the overwhelming number of anti-death penalty individuals who testified should not be a surprise.