US Grapples With Capital Punishment Amid Botched Execution and Public Livestream Plans
Recent events highlight deep divisions in American views on the death penalty, its morality, and its execution.
The United States is confronting deep divisions over capital punishment, marked by a recent botched lethal injection and the military's announcement of plans to livestream an execution by firing squad. These events have reignited calls for abolition and prompted supporters to publicly question the methods of carrying out government-sanctioned deaths.
In Tennessee, the botched execution of Christa Pike, who was sentenced to die in 1996 for murder, has led state legislators to consider returning to the electric chair or allowing firing squads as execution methods. Idaho has already made the firing squad its primary method, viewing it as more humane due to its speed and reduced risk of error.
The military's announcement that it would livestream the execution of Fort Hood shooter Nidal Malik Hasan, scheduled for December 3, has drawn sharp criticism. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's decision was questioned by Vice President JD Vance, who stated he would not watch, and called "beyond disgusting" by retiring North Carolina Republican Senator Thom Tillis.
Public opinion on the death penalty remains divided. A Pew Research Center poll indicated that while about two-thirds of U.S. adults find it morally justified for murder, roughly 60% believe it does not deter crime, and about 70% express concern about the risk of executing an innocent person. Gallup trends show a decline in support for capital punishment since the 1990s.
Victims' families are often prominent voices in the debate. The family of Colleen Slemmer, Pike's victim, has supported Pike's execution. Conversely, Rachel Sutphin, whose father was a sheriff's deputy killed in the line of duty, was part of the coalition that successfully advocated for the abolition of the death penalty in Virginia in 2021. She expressed concern that the Pentagon's announcement could normalize executions as a form of entertainment.
Historically, public executions were common in America until the late 1930s, sometimes treated as mass entertainment. Today, such practices are widely considered "grotesque and barbaric" by many societies, with most European nations having abolished capital punishment. However, legal experts note there may be no legal obstacles preventing the military from livestreaming Hasan's execution, as one commentator suggested, "You don’t have a right to a secret death."
Arguments for public executions include holding the government accountable for its actions, with proponents suggesting that if society cannot tolerate witnessing executions, the practice should be abolished. This perspective echoes ancient beliefs that failing to adequately punish criminals pollutes the population.
Religious denominations hold differing views on capital punishment. Some, like the Southern Baptist Convention and the Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod, support it, citing biblical passages that mandate retributive justice. Others, including the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and several mainline Protestant denominations, oppose it, emphasizing theology of redemption and the sanctity of life. Archbishop Paul S. Coakley condemned the military's plan to livestream Hasan's execution, calling it a "barbaric promotion of a culture of death."
Despite the ongoing debates and divided opinions, capital punishment persists in the U.S. Thirty inmates have been executed this year, with eight more scheduled, primarily in Texas and Florida. The military's planned execution is set for December 3.