This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

A lot of crime and punishment discussion in the news lately:

Utah should let death penalty go — Salt Lake Tribune Editorial

"Utah lawmakers have a golden opportunity to slip quietly into the ranks of civilized societies that have effectively turned their backs on the thuggish and expensive practice of capital punishment. All they have to do is stop struggling and allow nature to take its course.

"Sadly, though, the Utah House Friday narrowly missed a chance to take a giant step toward doing away with the death penalty, effectively if not officially. It passed a bill that would, under certain circumstances, bring back the firing squad. ..."

Firing squad bill passes Utah House after tough debate — Erica Palmer | The Salt Lake Tribune

In Our View: Firing squads — St. George Spectrum Editorial

" ... The state is indeed committing an act of barbarism on the behalf of its citizens when it carries out capital sentences. Therefore, along with the new debate over how we should navigate the waters of executing human beings without lethal injections, we cannot allow the issue of the death penalty itself to ever be settled as long as we continue to execute inmates. ..."

The Humane Death Penalty Charade — New York Times Editorial

"When the United States at last abandons the abhorrent practice of capital punishment, the early years of the 21st century will stand out as a peculiar period during which otherwise reasonable people hotly debated how to kill other people while inflicting the least amount of constitutionally acceptable pain. ..."

" ... The clearest argument in defense of the death penalty is simply vengeance. But a civil society instead owes victims and their families swift and certain justice. The death penalty provides neither. It adds years to the length of cases, prolonging uncertainty for victims' families, and it is often overturned or reversed. ..."

Use death penalty only in most heinous circumstances — Reading (Penn.) Eagle Editorial

Gov. Wolf had many good reasons to suspend executions in Pa — Harrisburg (Penn.) Patriot-News Editorial

— Legislature should end death penalty — Danville (Ken.) Advocate-Messenger Editorial

Saudi Arabia Defends Public Beheadings After ISIS Comparisons — Lora Moftah | International Business Times