Trump Administration to Re-Introduce Firing Squads for Capital Punishment
By Emma Crossan
The Trump Administration has announced it will allow firing squads to provide capital punishment in the US.
While firing squads have always been a legal form of capital punishment, they have only been used three times since 1976.
This method was barely used as it was believed to be inhumane and often described as “barbaric”.
The Office of Public Affairs explained the Trump Administration believes that this will be “critical to deterring the most barbaric crimes, delivering justice for victims, and providing long-overdue closure to surviving loved ones”.
Acting Attorney General, Todd Blanche, said: “The prior administration failed in its duty to protect the American people by refusing to pursue and carry out the ultimate punishment against the most dangerous criminals, including terrorists, child murderers, and cop killers.
“Under President Trump’s leadership, the Department of Justice is once again enforcing the law and standing with victims.”
The Trump Administration believes that re-introducing execution by firing squad is the solution to fixing issued created by the Biden Justice Department.
Trump claims methods such as hanging or lethal injection come with the risk of “unnecessary pain and suffering”.
The decision to use the firing squad for capital punishment has created another backlash for the Trump Administration.
Senator Richard J. Durbin, Democrat of Illinois, said: “This is turning back the clock by strengthening the barbaric practice of the federal death penalty — a cruel, immoral and often discriminatory form of punishment.”
However, Joe Deters, Hamilton County (OH) Prosecutor, supports the decision.
He said: “They ought to just bring back the firing squad — I don’t care. If they’re going to have a death penalty in Ohio, they should carry it out. And if you don’t want it, get rid of it. That’s fine with me.”