In America, there are people who commit heinous, vicious, and inexcusable crimes against others. Debates on how these people should be handled by the criminal justice system remain alive and well in the United States.
Some folks favor lighter sentences altogether, arguing that the criminal justice system is already too harsh on people. Then, there are others who favor harsher penalties for various crimes. This includes the death penalty in some cases.
More often than not, folks on the left tend to oppose the death penalty, whereas those with more right-leaning political views are generally in favor of it.
In the case of Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, he appears eager to revive the death penalty in his state, according to The Hill.
The Latest From DeSantis on the Death Penalty
During his public remarks at the Florida Sheriff’s Association and Miami’s Police Benevolent Association, DeSantis spoke of the death penalty.
More specifically, the Florida governor laid out his plan to expand the criminal offenses which would warrant the death penalty. For instance, it is DeSantis’ view that child rapists ought to be put to death. Many people may argue that it’s hard to disagree with the Florida governor on this.
Governors need to get tough.
Gov DeSantis dedicated $5M to continue the success by his strike force resulting in more than 200 felony charges, ~40 human smuggling charges, 66 drug charges, & more than $625K worth of illicit drugs seized.@RonDeSantisFL https://t.co/OK8SKL6J0x
— LTG (R) Mike Flynn (@GenFlynn) February 6, 2023
However, DeSantis’ support for the death penalty predates his time in the Florida governor’s mansion.
In 2018, when he was running to win the Florida GOP primary for the state’s gubernatorial election, he called out leftists on the Florida Supreme Court for their obstruction of the death penalty for a man who raped and murdered an 11-year-old girl.
Naturally, many Democrats who don’t like DeSantis or his policies are using the death penalty as a means to attack him. However, support for the death penalty isn’t going away anytime soon, especially considering the rise in crime seen by this country in recent years.
Coming Soon to Florida?
Since DeSantis’ time in office, Florida has gotten a lot redder. Right now, the Sunshine State has hundreds of thousands more GOP voters than Democratic ones. Likewise, in the Florida state legislature, Republicans have a supermajority in both the House and Senate.
Governor Ron DeSantis recently suggested that convicted child rapists should face the death penalty. Do you agree?
— Scott Carpenter (@ScottRCarpenter) January 30, 2023
Therefore, DeSantis stands a chance of helping to push through more laws that will increase the death penalty in Florida. Many arguments in favor of the death penalty warn that it will deter people from committing grave offenses, while also driving down crime rates in the long run.
Time will tell whether or not Florida becomes a stronger death penalty state in time.
What do you think about Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ support for the death penalty? Do you believe stronger provisions in this area would drive down crime rates? In the comments section below, you’re more than welcome to let us know.
This article appeared in The Conservative Brief and has been published here with permission.
