The Death Penalty Will Be Abolished By 2035

     The death penalty is on its way out in the United States, and, by 2035, it is certain to be entirely gone. Since 2004, New York, New Jersey, New Mexico, Connecticut, Maryland, Washington, Nebraska, Virginia, and Illinois have abolished it. 13 states had abolished the death penalty prior to 1976. States like California, Pennsylvania, Colorado, and Oregon have moratoriums in place, and these states, along with Montana and Kansas, have death penalty repeal campaigns under way. South Dakota has only had one execution in the last five years, while numerous other states have had none. When all is taken into account, of the 50 states, only eight are firmly behind the death penalty. 42 states are in a position to phase it out. To create a constitutional amendment, which would be more likely than getting a 67% consensus in Congress, 34 would need to agree. The death penalty could be outlawed at the federal level, and states are in no position to disobey a constitutional amendment.