As many people know, most recently from the presidential primary debates, Americans are backing away from harsh criminal justice policies. In the debates, both Democrats and Republicans have consistently and uniformly suggested that mass incarceration has gone too far. That includes the death penalty.
Whether we look at national trends or particular hot spots, the answer is the same. The death penalty is still regularly used in few places in the United States — because just as with mass incarceration, the public no longer favors it.
By now, for every nine people who have been executed, one person has been exonerated. As a result, fewer and fewer Americans are confident that the government can be counted on. And where public opinion goes, political leaders eventually catch up.
Read the full article at the Washington Post.