Bernie Sanders' Opinion On The Death Penalty Makes A Powerful Statement
Bernie Sanders' Opinion On The Death Penalty Makes A Powerful Statement
APRIL SIESE
Bustle
Democratic presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders has become more and more vocal about his stance on capital punishment. The Vermont senator spoke about the issue extensively at a recent appearance at George Mason University as well as on the Senate floor on Thursday. Bernie Sanders is against the death penalty and wants to abolish it altogether. It's a stance that firmly separates Sanders from fellow candidate Hillary Clinton, who simply takes issue with the frequency of the death penalty being used.
Sanders believes that by implementing the death penalty at all, the country is contributing to a vicious cycle of rampant violence that has seen shootings and murders "seemingly every week." He cites the fact that America stands as one of the few heavily developed countries that allows capital punishment as being one of the biggest reasons for capital punishment to be abolished altogether. Speaking to 250 students at George Mason University on Thursday, Sanders said that the United States can lead by example on this very important issue:
Those of us who want to set an example, who want to say that we have to end the murders and the violence that we’re seeing in our country and all over the world, should in fact be on the side of those of us who believe that we must end capital punishment in this country.
Sanders' remarks not only stand in opposition to Clinton's, but they also highlight a pivotal part of his comprehensive prison reform plan and come just as he's looking to introduce legislature that would remove marijuana from the DEA's list of Schedule I drugs, allowing for more freedom for states to legalize it without the fear of federal repercussions. According to the ACLU, marijuana-related arrests accounted for over half of all arrests in the country in 2010, resulting in mass incarceration and jail overcrowding.
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