(NewsNation) — President Donald Trump has announced interest in reimplementing the death penalty in Washington, D.C., amid his recent federal crackdown on crime in the city.
In a Cabinet meeting Tuesday, Trump said that he will be “seeking the death penalty” for murderers in the nation’s capital.
“If somebody kills somebody in the capital, Washington, D.C., we’re going to be seeking the death penalty, and that’s a very strong preventative,” he said.
Currently, D.C. does not allow capital punishment to be used as a legal penalty. The death penalty in the District was nullified by the Supreme Court decision in Furman v. Georgia in 1972 and subsequently repealed by the D.C. Council in 1981, according to the Death Penalty Information Center.
This is not the first time Trump has mentioned the death penalty during his term. On the first day of his presidency, Trump issued an executive order that argues “capital punishment is an essential tool for deterring and punishing those who would commit the most heinous crimes and acts of lethal violence against American citizens.”
Contrary to Trump’s beliefs, however, research suggests the death penalty does not reduce or deter violent crime and disproportionately affects Black people.
Currently, 27 states allow the death penalty, while 23 do not allow it.
“States are going to have to make their own decision,” Trump continued.
D.C. has not had an execution since Robert Carter in 1957.
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Author: Zach Kaplan
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