Yesterday, the Daily Caller posted an article I wrote about the recent death penalty-related election results. Even though two repeal campaigns fell short, there is much to be hopeful for as the United States is clearly trending away from capital punishment.
I wrote,
On election night, Americans from across the nation sat nervously glued to their TVs or frantically refreshing their web browsers to learn who might be our next president, but there were other important issues being weighed by voters. Californians and Nebraskans both considered measures to end their capital punishment programs. However, unfortunately, after valiant efforts in both states, the campaigns to repeal their death penalties came up short.
Yet, this is not a watershed moment for the pro-death penalty camp by any means. In fact, capital punishment is in steep decline and its end seems inevitable:
Death sentences, executions, support for the death penalty, and states that actually carry out executions are falling to historic lows. At this point, executions are largely being relegated to a few outlier jurisdictions, but even in places that still use the death penalty, like Florida, it has been fraught with problems. The Sunshine State has had its capital punishment sentencing scheme declared unconstitutional twice this year – an embarrassing distinction, to say the least.
Taxpayers understand that they deserve a better return for their investment. Legislators are accepting that the death penalty is becoming indefensible, and capital punishment seems to be slowly going into disuse. Together, this likely spells doom for the death penalty. Regardless of how it happens, the tide has likely begun to irreversibly turn against capital punishment. We have witnessed a decisive shift in momentum during the past few years, and as this continues, the death penalty’s ultimate and unavoidable demise becomes apparent. While the results in California and Nebraska are disappointing, they only represent a regrettable setback, but make no mistake – the death penalty’s days are numbered.