Truthout
Death Penalty
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Trump Moves to Expand Ways to Kill Prisoners — Including Firing Squads
This comes as the Trump administration has already executed eight people in the past five months.
![An elderly man holds signs opposing the death penalty](https://truthout.org/app/uploads/2020/07/2020_0715-death-penalty-400x300.jpg)
The DOJ Has No Reason to Execute the Federally Incarcerated During a Pandemic
The federal government is now killing prisoners after a 17-year hiatus on federal executions.
![A view of the U.S. Supreme Court on June 30, 2020, in Washington, D.C.](https://truthout.org/app/uploads/2020/07/2020_0714-supreme-court-400x300.jpg)
DOJ Conducts First Execution Since 2003 Just Hours After Supreme Court Ruling
More than 2,600 individuals on death row have been exonerated since 1989.
![Donald Trump prepares to speaks as Attorney General William Barr departs the stage during a White House ceremony September 9, 2019, in Washington, D.C.](https://truthout.org/app/uploads/2020/07/GettyImages-1173384979-400x300.jpg)
Trump DOJ Worked Secretly to Obtain Drugs to Resume Federal Executions
For the last three years, the Department of Justice has been quietly building a supply chain of execution drugs.
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With His Execution Blocked, Rodney Reed Has a Chance to Prove Innocence
In 1998, an all-white jury sentenced Reed to die for the murder of Stacey Stites.
![Rep. Ayanna Pressley speaks into a microphone](https://truthout.org/app/uploads/2019/11/2019_1115-ayanna-pressley-400x300.jpg)
Ayanna Pressley Unveils Plan to Incentivize Reductions in Prison Population
The proposal also calls for governments to abolish cash bail.
![People walk beneath a large stretched out rainbow flag](https://truthout.org/app/uploads/2019/10/2019_1030-uganda-pride-400x300.jpg)
Uganda Official Threatens to Try to Resurrect Death Penalty for Homosexuality
The legacy of British imperial rule and American evangelizing have combined to create a climate of rampant homophobia.
![As his November 20 execution date nears, supporters of Rodney Reed continue to advocate for a man they believe has been wrongfully convicted.](https://truthout.org/app/uploads/2019/10/reedjusticeinitiative-400x300.jpg)
The Fight to Save Rodney Reed From Execution in Texas
That Reed is still on death row is indicative of the larger issues around the death penalty.
![Reflections of people are seen as they gaze into an execution chamber](https://truthout.org/app/uploads/2019/08/2019_0821-execution-chamber-400x300.jpg)
The Return of the Federal Death Penalty Is an Attack on Democracy
The death penalty is not just a human rights violation -- it's a warning of repression to come.
![Sen. Bernie Sanders speaks onstage at Georgia International Convention Center on August 17, 2019, in College Park, Georgia.](https://truthout.org/app/uploads/2019/08/2019_0818-bernie-sanders-400x300.jpg)
Sanders Unveils Plan to “Fundamentally Transform” Criminal Legal System
The platform condemns America's “overly-punitive approach to public safety.”