Catholic group opposes Trump call for death penalty

President Trump called on prosecutors in Washington, DC, to seek capital punishment for any person convicted of murder in the US capital.

“Anybody murders [somebody] in the capital – capital punishment,” Mr Trump told reporters in late August.

“If somebody kills somebody in the capital, Washington, DC, we’re going to be seeking the death penalty and it’s a very strong preventative and everybody that’s heard it agrees with it,” Mr Trump added. “I don’t know if we’re ready for it in this country, but . . . we have no choice.”

The President did not make clear how he would impose such a requirement. A spokesperson for the White House referred CNA back to Mr Trump’s comments when asked whether a specific policy or plan is in the works.

Krisanne Vaillancourt Murphy, president of the Catholic Mobilizing Network, told CNA that like other American cities, Washington, DC, “has challenges with crime and violence that should not be ignored”.

“But to suggest that the response to homicide in the District of Columbia should be capital punishment is at best a terribly misguided approach,” she said. “Perpetuating more violence in response to harm does not promise safety or an effective solution to crime.”

The Catholic Mobilizing Network works closely with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops on efforts to oppose the death penalty and uphold the human dignity of people who are incarcerated.

“Capital punishment defiles the sacred dignity of life and deserves no place in our nation’s capital, our country or any society,” Ms Murphy added. “Simply put, the death penalty is a failed system beyond repair. Instead of providing real opportunities for healing and closure, capital punishment systematically perpetuates a cycle of violence.”

Ms Murphy argued that enforcing the death penalty is more costly than other prison sentences, does not deter crime and risks ending the life of someone who is wrongly accused.

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Trump backs death penalty in all Washington, DC, murder cases; Catholic group objects (By Tyler Arnold/CNA)