Donald Trump has been a fan of the death penalty, as we've seen in When They See Us. That was in the 90s and even at that point, there was resistance against state-issued executions. But now, Attorney General William Barr has ordered the Bureau of Prisons to reinstate capital punishment starting with five death row inmates. According to CNBC, Barr's scheduled the execution of five inmates which is set to take place between December 2019 and January 2019.
“Congress has expressly authorized the death penalty through legislation adopted by the people’s representatives in both houses of Congress and signed by the President,” Barr said in a statement. “Under Administrations of both parties, the Department of Justice has sought the death penalty against the worst criminals, including these five murderers, each of whom was convicted by a jury of his peers after a full and fair proceeding.”
Adding, “The Justice Department upholds the rule of law—and we owe it to the victims and their families to carry forward the sentence imposed by our justice system."
The death penalty was initially outlawed, both federally and state-wide, in 1972 but later reinstated in 1988. It was later expanded since 1994. However, after Congress' decision to expand the death penalty laws, there wasn't a federal execution that happened until 2001.
What do you think? Do you agree with the death penalty? Sound off in the comments.