Chapter Related to Current Event
The article US Justice Department Resumes Use of Death Penalty and Schedules Five Executions focuses on capital punishment. It correlates with the topic of forms of punishment. The various punishment forms include capital punishment, fines, probation, imprisonment, restitution and community service and apologies (Gaines 365). Capital punishment is a form of punishment mainly used for individuals found guilty of committing first-degree murder under aggravated situations (Gaines 365). Published in 2019, the article highlights the attorney general’s announcement about the US justice department’s recommencement of capital punishment for the first time after more than a decade and how it had scheduled to conduct five executions. This was despite criticism that the death penalty is “morally wrong and deeply defective.” One of the critics of capital punishment is 2020 contender, Senator Cory Booker; according to her, throughout the years, the death penalty has been fraught with prejudices against low-income persons, people of color, and the mentally ill (Smith).
The attorney general stated that Congress had authorized this kind of punishment via legislation, and the president had signed it; as such, it had been legalized. He further added that capital punishment had been sought against the worst criminals. As aforementioned, the death penalty is sought for people who commit first-degree murder; through the attorney general’s statement, it is quite evident that the justice department sought capital punishment for the five murderers since it saw them as the worst kind of criminals. Capital punishment is a sentencing option in 34 states and federal courts (Gaines 365). The article also asserts this fact. For instance, in his statement, the attorney also cited that 34 states in the US allow the death penalty. Still, he was quick to note that governors in 4 of the states had issued moratoriums on capital punishment (Smith). This means that for now, the death penalty in those states is temporarily prohibited.
Works Cited
Gaines, Larry K. Criminal Justice in Action. Cengage Learning, 2016.
Smith, David. “US Justice Department Resumes Use of Death Penalty and Schedules Five Executions.” The Guardian, 25 July 2019, www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jul/25/death-penalty-capital-punishment-us-justice-department-resumes-executions.
