Summary: The Decline Of The Death Penalty

Throughout time, there has been a decline in the national use of the capital punishment. In “The Decline of the Death Penalty and the Discovery of Innocence”, Frank Baumgartner explains that the innocence movement is the most influential reason as to why there was a national decline in the capital punishment, and he believes that innocence is the driving force behind the decline. My argument is that, with the exception of some states, the continuation of the national decrease in capital punishment will ultimately result in abolishment. This paper will analyze the durability of the capital punishment and how different organizations or Supreme Court investigations will affect future policy changes.

According to Baumgartner, the nature of the

According to the Death Penalty Information Center (DPIC), we see that the penalty is being used less and is high on the agenda setting. In addition, political figures argue that mitigating factors such as geography, method of execution, and racial factors are all unneeded issues that the punishment introduces. Congressional figures are investing in research and testing in order to make the process cheaper, painless, and less cruel and unusual. Political figures struggle to find a balance with the penalty in which all parties are pleased and may eventually realize the penalty should not be

This bill, “The Timely Justice Act” requires governors to sign death warrants thirty days after Florida Supreme Court certifies that an inmate has no more legal appeals and their clemency was reviewed. Instead of eliminating the punishment, this can be seen as Florida’s efforts to correct the criticism the capital punishment faces. According to psychologist Samantha Mckelvie from Southern News, being on death row causes mental illness, anxiety, depression, and insanity. The Timely Justice Act, is Florida’s way of limiting the amount of time an inmate remains on death row and eliminating the argument that keeping inmates on death row is a form of cruel and unusual punishment. As a result of political arguments that are being formed against the death penalty and the extensive actions that are being taken to regulate it, the national usage of the death penalty will continue to decline. With the exception of some states such as Florida, the capital punishment will continue to be used. Also, the comparison of Florida’s usage of the capital punishment versus the nation and the passing of the Timely Justice Act are just two out of the many reasons why I do not believe Florida will abolish the death penalty anytime