𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

Donald Trump has announced his intention to reintroduce capital punishment in Washington, D. C., as part of his crackdown on crime in the nation’s capital.

“It’ll be a crime-free city,” Trimp declared. “By the way, speaking of that, anybody murders something in the capital, capital punishment – capital capital punishment.”

He further clarified, “If somebody kills somebody in the capital, Washington, D.C., we’re going to be seeking the death penalty,” adding, “And that’s a very strong preventative. And everybody that’s heard it agrees with it.” The news comes weeks after a widower sobbed as he heard the murderer of his wife say one word before being executed.

Capital punishment was abolished in D. C. in 1981 when the D. C. Council voted for its repeal. The last execution in the district took place in 1957, according to the Death Penalty Information Center.

In 1972, the U.S. Supreme Court nullified a mandatory nationwide death penalty, leading to the 1981 D. C. Council decision.

In 1992, a referendum on the death penalty was issued to D.C. residents, and the majority voted against reinstating capital punishment, according to the centre.

Federal executions

The death penalty has always remained an option in Washington DC for federal crimes that carry such eligibility, including first-degree murder at the federal level.

The federal death penalty was reinstated in 1988, overturning a 1972 ruling, but initially only for select offences. These were significantly expanded in 1994 under the Federal Death Penalty Act. Today, 60 offences are eligible for the federal death penalty.

However, federal death sentences are rarely carried out. Former President Joe Biden commuted the federal death sentences of 37 men in late December before leaving office, leaving just three prisoners on federal death row.

Concerns have mounted over the use of federal death sentences in jurisdictions like DC, where capital punishment has been abolished at the local level. Critics warn of dangerous federal overreach.

Only 16 federal executions have taken place in the modern era, all by lethal injection. A staggering 13 of these occurred within just six months between July 2020 and January 2021.

National Guard deployed in D.C.

On August 11, Trump announced controversial plans to deploy DC National Guard troops and federalise the Metropolitan Police Department in a bid to tackle crime in Washington.

US Attorney Jeanine Pirro has since claimed there have been 1,000 arrests and that, as of Monday, the capital has seen 12 consecutive days without a homicide.

Trump has floated similar plans to federalise other cities, including Chicago, New York and other Democratic strongholds, though he has yet to follow through on these threats.