Federal Government Reinstates Death Penalty, Schedules 5 Executions

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Attorney General William Barr pauses while speaking at the International Conference on Cyber Security at Fordham University School of Law on July 23, 2019 in New York City. In his remarks, Barr stated that increased encryption of data on phones and encrypted messaging apps puts American security at risk. Barr encouraged technology companies to provide law enforcement with access to encrypted data during certain criminal investigations
The death penalty was abolished nearly two decades ago but AG William Barr has brought it back.

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. 

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“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. 


About The Author
Aron A. is a features editor for HotNewHipHop. Beginning his tenure at HotNewHipHop in July 2017, he has comprehensively documented the biggest stories in the culture over the past few years. Throughout his time, Aron’s helped introduce a number of buzzing up-and-coming artists to our audience, identifying regional trends and highlighting hip-hop from across the globe. As a Canadian-based music journalist, he has also made a concerted effort to put spotlights on artists hailing from North of the border as part of Rise & Grind, the weekly interview series that he created and launched in 2021. Aron also broke a number of stories through his extensive interviews with beloved figures in the culture. These include industry vets (Quality Control co-founder Kevin "Coach K" Lee, Wayno Clark), definitive producers (DJ Paul, Hit-Boy, Zaytoven), cultural disruptors (Soulja Boy), lyrical heavyweights (Pusha T, Styles P, Danny Brown), cultural pioneers (Dapper Dan, Big Daddy Kane), and the next generation of stars (Lil Durk, Latto, Fivio Foreign, Denzel Curry). Aron also penned cover stories with the likes of Rick Ross, Central Cee, Moneybagg Yo, Vince Staples, and Bobby Shmurda.
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