By David Von Drehle David Von Drehle Columnist focusing on national affairs and politics Email Bio Follow Columnist March 15 at 11:09 AM There once was a burning political issue known as capital punishment. Others called it the death penalty. Entire political careers in the 1980s and 1990s were built on it or ruined by it. Democrat Michael Dukakis lost the presidency, many pundits said in 1988, by seeming mushy when asked what he’d do if some guy murdered his wife.
The governors of Colorado, Oregon and Pennsylvania have already renounced the death penalty and have suffered no appreciable political backlash. Along with California, these four indefinite pauses cover roughly one-third of all death row prisoners in the United States. Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine has suspended the death penalty in his state — home to another 144 condemned prisoners — until an execution protocol can be devised that meets court standards.
The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled repeatedly over nearly half a century that the death penalty is different from all other punishments. It must meet stringent standards to be lawful. This perfectionism, fine on paper, has proved impossible for lower courts to satisfy reliably and efficiently. These realities — high costs and rare results — first altered the politics of the death penalty at the local level, beginning some 20 years ago. Elected prosecutors, seeing their budgets decimated by the expense of capital trials and appeals, stopped seeking the death penalty. Between 1981 and 2000, U.S. courts imposed more than 200 death sentences per year — sometimes more than 300. But then the number fell sharply, and hasn’t topped 50 per year since 2014.
If death penalty makes “ a mockery of justice system”..... isn’t abortion after 36 wks “a mockery of justice” to an unborn?
Right after we apply it to all that earned it
OPINION: Abortion makes a mockery of our humanity. Abolish it.
A different perspective. Could care less if it is used on murderers, but, we spend way too many resources sustaining a system that is rarely used. Makes people feel better, ie, a pound of flesh.
Remember the time the WashingtonPost helped frame a black-man in the murder of Mary Pinchot Meyer? Who killed SethRich?
Keep the death penalty. I refuse to pay a mass murderer’s tent for life. Capital punishment should be for any premeditated murderer. And it should be within half a year of sentencing.
People who murder deserve to die. Liberals making murderers the victim makes a mockery of our justice system.
I agree with this but mostly should marshal it's resources into actually fact checking so they can publish stories that are true. If they would focus on that they would spend less time in court.
Yes, when considering our Constitution requires a long and complex judicial process for capital cases. A death sentence costs at least 18 times as much as a sentence of life without parole would cost.
Opinion: No.
Has every single news outlet just become some opinionated blog for their “journalists”? This is one side of the coin... put ALL the stats and facts out there and let the readers decide. Not this garbage where you paint a picture to support your opinion.
Save the taxpayers money. Tall tree +short rope= cheap and environmentally friendly punishment for murderers, and child molesters.
Agreed. WWJD?
So say we all
America doesn't have a justice system. It has a revenge system.
Opinion: Abortion makes a mockery of humanity. Abolish it.
It only makes a mockery because there is no speed in implementing it.
Why should their sentence be less than the person who was killed?
Not so fast lackeys of Bezos! There may be ample need to employ drastic penalties soon, let's just keep death on the table for now.😈🐼🍷
I'd appreciate seeing an opposing view article so people can make informed decisions as opposed to one side and nothing more. I'd even write it. It's a debate that should be had, but this is one side. I expect more
Sure it does.
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