The U.S. has taken so many steps backward since 2016 in terms of civil rights, equality, and just plain humanity. Reinstating the death penalty on the Federal level however, is the worst case of barbarism thus far. Thanks to Jill for this insightful post.
Does anybody remember Clayton D. Lockett? No, of course not. Allow me to refresh your memory. Mr. Lockett was brutally murdered by our own federal government on April 29,2014 in a botched execution. Lockett was administered an untested mixture of drugs that had not previously been used for executions in the United States. Although the execution was stopped, Lockett died 43 minutes after being sedated. He writhed, groaned, convulsed, and spoke during the process and attempted to rise from the execution table fourteen minutes into the procedure, despite having been declared unconscious.
Does anybody remember Clemente Javier Aguirre? Probably not. In 2006, he was sentenced to death for the stabbing deaths of two neighbors, despite the fact that he maintained his innocence throughout. Last year, after spending 14 years on Florida’s death row, he was exonerated by DNA evidence that had been withheld at his trial, and a confession by…
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By Hook Or By Book 
Some compelling arguments indeed, Kim. Despite recent changes in the government here, it is unlikely that the death penalty will ever be reinstated in Britain.
That said, there is a huge public support for it.
Best wishes, Pete.
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Thank goodness it’s reinstatement is unlikely Pete, but I’m dismayed that it has public support. Hasn’t anyone read the horror stories from over here?
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We have many examples of previous cases where the wrong person was executed, but the public would like it brought back for certain categories of murder. Popular ideas include child murder, killing police officers, and terrorist murders.
However, it has no real support in parliament, and no politicians really want to be associated with voting for it to return.
It’s worth remembering that the last execution of a murderer on Britain was in 1964.
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After you commented yesterday I saw that Jeremy Corbyn asked Boris Johnson to rule out bringing back the death penalty and Johnson refused. And then I read another article saying that 54% of Tories support the death penalty.
I understand people wanting the harshest punishment for certain crimes like you stated. The five men selected by Barr to be put to death committed some horrifying crimes, but for me, I’d rather have them be locked up for life.
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Despite those published figures, I really do think it is unlikely that we will ever see the death penalty return to the UK.
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I’m happy to hear that. I know England is struggling right now, but I still see your country as one of the last bastions of civilization.
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Canada or New Zealand have a better claim I’m afraid Kim, our country I’d decidedly uncivilised at this point in time.
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😔
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Or the Scandinavian countries. Or even, for that matter, Scotland.
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Pete I have just sent a twitter clip to you on there showing our new Home Secretary Priti Patel advocating bringing back capital punishment. Maybe not as unlikely as you think.
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I saw that too Fraggle.
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Shameful woman (Patel not you 🤣) I am renaming her The Trumpette Strumpet.
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Sounds like a well-deserved name.
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I know she has said that, FR. But I still cannot imagine it ever getting through parliament.
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I have just seen a report on the BBC about federal prisoners being executed in the US, starting in December.
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That’s why Jill published her post Pete. It’s going to be the first time in 20 years that federal prisoners (of which there are 62) will be executed. Ironically, public support for the death penalty has been dropping.
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If there’s public support in Britain for the death penalty, then it makes it all the more likely it could be reinstated. It’s always easy to say “it can’t happen here.” As an American, I didn’t think someone like Trump and the rest of 45 could happen here, and yet here we are. Keep your guard up and best of luck to you. While at it, wish us the best.
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Never say never Jonathan.
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There has always been strong public support for the death penalty here, but generations of politicians have been reluctant to vote it back into law. You are right to say ‘never say it can’t happen’, but I still think it is unlikely in my lifetime. (What I have left, anyway. 🙂 )
Best wishes, Pete.
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Absolutely: “barbarism” is emphatically le mot juste. You’ll probably get a few knuckledraggers trying to make the case in the comments that judicial murder represents a tradition going all the way back to a book of Bronze Age legends, so it must be good: all strength to you if indeed those atavists turn up.
The science shows that all that capital punishment is good for is revenge (hey, we have the moral standards of the Mafia!) and giving inadequate jerks their jollies. As one of the best Chief Constables in the UK, John Alderson, pointed out, the death penalty doesn’t deter criminals: what deters criminals is the likelihood of getting caught, and that’s more likely to happen when the death penalty is part of the equation. (Most of us are more likely to give info to the cops if we don’t think this might cause someone’s death. Go figure, Trumpies!)
William Barr (the DoJ’s very own Pat Robertson) increasingly makes me want to puke. What a betrayer of his country! I never thought the day might come when I’d yearn for the days of his predecessor, Matt Whitaker. I had not realized it was possible for an AG to have less integrity than the latter. Barr’s kids and grandkids are going to have a real hard job explaining away what the history books say about him.
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Jill did an excellent job laying out the reasons why the death penalty should be abolished John. Also, in addition to the four people exonerated AFTER their executions, I found four more dating back to 1915. And God only knows how many others before that.
We need to be honest and state that the death penalty is ONLY about revenge. It has nothing to do with justice.
While I don’t wear my religion on my sleeve, I do believe in God and as such, believe that only that Higher Power has the right to take a life. What kills me is the majority of death penalty supporters are so-called pro-life. I just can’t wrap my head around that one!
And I absolutely agree with you about William Barr. I am more and more terrified of what’s going to happen if Trump is re-elected.
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Awful decision. What miserable times we live in now. 😕
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God I thoroughly loathe this administration Fraggle. They’re evil. Just pure evil.😡
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Timothy Evans was hanged on behalf of the British Government for the murders of his wife and daughter, the only trouble was he didn’t kill them…………………. the High Court later overturned his conviction!
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An excellent example! If only one innocent person has been executed, that’s one too many.
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Either watch the BBC series ’10 Rillington Place’, or the Richard Attenborough movie named ’10 Rillington Place’ and you’ll get a sense of why the case of John Reginald Christie still enthrals the nation even 70 years later…………. a fascinating tale Kim.
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Thanks for the info. I’ll see if I can hunt those down. Poor Timothy Evans. First he loses his wife and daughter in a horrifying manner, and then he’s unjustly accused and executed for their murders.
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The BBC miniseries is apparently called just Rillington Place, and is available for streaming on Sundance Now.
How do I know? Because, by one of those odd little coincidences, an email about it arrived in my inbox about five minutes before the notification for A. Shepherdson’s comment!
I haven’t seen the new miniseries, but plan to rectify that. The Attenborough movie is an absolute knockout — one of my all-time faves. Also has John Hurt as Evans.
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Wow! That is a coincidence John!
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Haha 😀 now there’s a strange coincidence for you, and yes the BBC series is called ‘Rillington Place’ so lol I guess that shows I KNOW the tale and didn’t Google! Oh and Richard Attenborough’s portrayal is even scarier than Anthony Hopkins.
You just have to watch and I cannot stress how this one case of mass murder and wrongful hanging has seeped into the British consciousness, incidentally the case which brought about an end to Capital punishment in the UK.
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incidentally the case which brought about an end to Capital punishment in the UK
The Derek Bentley case played a part in that too. (There’s a good account of the case in Wikipedia, Kim, if you’re not familiar with it.) There’s also been lingering doubt about the guilt of James Hanratty (who also has a Wikipedia entry).
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I’ve been catching up on the Bentley and I’ll also look up Hanratty too. Thanks John.
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I thought our federal government always had the death penalty, which I’m against. In any case, terrible and tragic.
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Congress voted for it in 1988, but it hasn’t been used for 16 years.
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Ah, Okay.
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