On January 13, 2021, Lisa Montgomery was executed in the United States. She killed a pregnant woman in 2004. This is the first execution of a woman in almost 70 years for a federal crime. Such crime is governed by US law and only one from many high profile death penalty cases. In addition, two more death sentences were imposed. Together with them, the number executed during Trump’s term reached 13.
This is an unexpectedly prominent figure for the United States. At the federal level, no one has been subjected to such punishment for 17 years until 2020, although the death penalty is used from time to time at the state level.
The death penalty in the United States is also surprising. The United States is now the only country in Western democracy that has not yet abolished the death penalty. What does this have to do with anything? And is the attitude toward the death penalty changing in American society?
Education and scientific vs. the death penalty:
“Research shows that most states that allow the death penalty are inclined to support Republicans, and most of those that ban it are Democrats. This is due to differences in values, ideological and cultural differences between people in different states, and the policies of the leaders they support,” explains Amnesty International.
The death penalty is an essential topic for discussion among academics. Nowadays, many students choose this topic as a main for their coursework or diploma work. And law students, in some cases, need to write an essay on death penalty. It is highly complex, so it is okay to look at some death penalty essay examples (Pro and Against) in special services for their capital punishment essays. Some people dedicate their lives to answering the question: is the death penalty necessary? Brian Stevenson is an American lawyer, founder of the Equal Justice Initiative, and a professor at the New York University School of Law. He contributed to the decision of the United States Supreme Court, which banned the death penalty of children under the age of 18. He created an entire course and lecture class on the death penalty.
How many states have the death penalty?
The first person was executed in the British colonies (later reunited in the United States) in 1608. Captain George Kendall was shot in Jamestown, Virginia, for spying for Spain. In the late 18th century, under the influence of European educators, some US states began restricting the use of the death penalty. Pennsylvania was the first to ban such punishment for all crimes except first-degree murder (a type of premeditated murder).
Currently, some states are gradually abandoning the death penalty. In recent years, New Mexico, Illinois, Connecticut, Maryland, New Hampshire, and Colorado have officially banned her, replacing her with life imprisonment without parole. The Nebraska legislature also abolished the death penalty in 2015, but it was reinstated within a year. The death penalty is now legal in 28 states. However, 12 of them have not done any executions in the last decade.
Death penalty statistic:
In 2020, a record number of people were executed at the state level – less than a dozen (in 2019 – 22 people). However, more than 2,500 people are on death row (some have been awaiting execution for decades). Alabama, Georgia, Missouri, and Tennessee executed one penalty, while Texas executed three prisoners. This state is a “record holder” in general: more than 1,500 executions have taken place in the United States since 1970, almost 40% – in Texas.
Factors influencing the opinion on the death penalty:
One of the factors that may reduce the number of state-level executions soon is the change in the local judiciary.
“About 25% of suicide bombers are currently in districts where prosecutors say they will not use the death penalty or intend to limit its use significantly. This suggests that numbers will remain low in most states,” writing in the grade of death penalty Robert Dunham, the US Death Penalty Information Center executive director.
Conclusion:
An important aspect is a change in public opinion about the very concept of the death penalty. A student with graduation from progressive college who has studied the death penalty in a library and educational center will have a negative attitude towards this issue. A Gallup portal poll in November 2019 found that 60% of Americans support life imprisonment instead of execution. It was a turning point – for the first time in more than 30 years, attitudes toward the death penalty in the United States have changed.