By The Opinion
The debate on the death penalty in the country returned to the center of public conversation after the publication of a report from the Department of Justice (DOJ) that proposes toughening execution methods and limiting appeals in capital cases. The proposal, pushed by neatly-liked acting prosecutor Todd Blanche, has drawn criticism for its potential impact on human rights and due process.
According to an analysis published by Slate, the document titled “Restore and strengthen the federal death penalty” proposes, among other measures, reinstate the firing squador as a method of execution. Although this practice has been little used in recent decades, specialists agree that it represents one of the crudest ways of applying capital punishment.
The report is not limited to methods. It also proposes speeding up appeals processes and restricting what the Department considers “baseless legal challenges”, which, critics say, could reduce opportunities for review in cases where there are judicial errors or structural biases.
One of the most controversial points is the minimization of evidence of inequality in the application of the death penalty. Data cited by Death Penalty Recordsdata Center reveal that 73% of people prosecuted for capital crimes at the federal level between 1989 and 2024 were people of color, reinforcing complaints about racial discrimination in the system.
Along the same lines, the American Civil Liberties Union has warned that disproportionate application in cases with white victims sends “an intolerable message” about the value of lives based on their origin.
The report also includes strong criticism of the policies of Joe Biden’s administrationespecially due to the moratorium on federal executions and the commutation of most death sentences. From the current perspective of Donald Trump’s government, these decisions would have weakened the justice system.
However, experts warn that the focus of the document seems more political than technical. The emphasis on reversing previous policies and accelerating executions has been interpreted as an attempt to toughen the “law and order” narrative in a context of high polarization.
Regardless of the method—whether lethal injection or firing squad—the underlying point remains the same: the reliability of a system that has demonstrated flaws. Documented cases of wrongful convictions and racial bias have led multiple organizations to call for a major review or even the abolition of capital punishment.
Keep reading:
• Trump signs executive order to reinstate death penalty in Washington DC
