Wed 25th Dec, 2024

The designated U.S. President Donald Trump has expressed his intention to advocate for a stricter implementation of the death penalty. This statement follows the recent decision by current President Joe Biden to convert the death sentences of 37 federal inmates into life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.

In a post on his social media platform, Trump criticized Biden’s actions, arguing that such decisions defy logic and undermine justice. He emphasized that under his administration, there would be no clemency for severe offenders, particularly violent criminals.

Trump stated that he plans to instruct the Department of Justice to rigorously pursue capital punishment, asserting the need to protect American families from violent felons, including rapists and murderers. This stance aligns with his ongoing campaign rhetoric that has consistently championed tougher penalties, especially for crimes involving violence against citizens and law enforcement officers.

President Biden’s recent policy change affects 37 individuals sentenced to death under federal law, transforming their sentences to life imprisonment. However, Biden has explicitly excluded three individuals from this commutation, who were convicted of terrorism and hate-motivated mass murder, including the Boston Marathon bomber, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev.

Biden justified his decision based on moral grounds, citing his experience as a public defender and his commitment to acknowledging the suffering of victims and their families. He also mentioned the expectation that the moratorium on federal executions he established in July 2021 may be lifted under the incoming administration, which raises concerns about future executions.

During his previous term from 2017 to 2021, Trump did not oversee any federal executions initially, as the country had been in a de facto moratorium since 2003. However, towards the end of his presidency, Trump reinstated the death penalty, leading to a significant number of executions–13 in total–more than any other president in recent decades.

The death penalty remains a contentious issue in the United States, being permissible at the federal level, within the military, and in 27 states, though its application varies widely. While a slim majority of Americans still support capital punishment, growing concerns about judicial errors, discrimination, and disparities in legal representation are contributing to a gradual decline in this support.