Merrick Garland, the acting Attorney General, has put a halt to the federal executions. The nature of the halt is temporary. The decision comes in as the senior official of the department of justice carries out an official review on the procedures and the policies of the punishment. The punishment of federal execution is extremely controversial in nature.
Merrick Garland’s Concern
The 68-year-old Attorney General gave a lengthy statement on the subject of the death penalty. He also stated the reason why it needed a close study by experts. Merrick Garland stated that the continued use of execution as punishment led to the rise of concerns all over the country. Concerns were also raised due to the random use of the penalty and the impact that it creates among the “people of color.”
Attorney General Merrick Garland concluded his statement by claiming that these factors needed to be closely studied upon. The statement was issued this Thursday. It is to be noted that there have been zero cases of federal execution ever since Joe Biden, the acting President of the country, took office.
The Attorney General also mentioned the importance of humane treatment to be provided to the prisoners. He claimed that it was necessary for the concerned department to provide the kind of treatment that was fair and humane. And this was to be kept in mind while executing the capital sentences that fell under the federal laws.
The directive provided by Merrick Garland will contain the reviews of those changes that were brought about in 2020 by William Barr, one of the former Attorney Generals. During the time of William Barr, the methods of execution that were permissible were expanded to a great limit. The use of lethal injections and firing squads were all allowed. During the confirmation ceremony of Garland, he stated that he could not approve death penalties as he was aware of the number of wrongful cases of conviction prevalent all over the country.
