On Friday, Arizona Governor, Katie Hobbs, announced that her administration would not be carrying out the execution of Aaron Gunches, a death row inmate. The decision came as part of an effort to review the state’s death penalty protocols. The day before Hobbs spoke out, the Arizona Supreme Court issued an execution warrant for Gunches, and rejected a request by Kris Mayes, the state’s attorney general, to withdraw the execution request. Both Hobbs and Mayes are Democrats who replaced their Republican predecessors.
Aaron Gunches was sentenced to death for a murder committed in 2002. The Arizona Supreme Court stated that the criteria for issuing the execution warrant had been met, obligating the court to issue it, despite Hobbs’ review of the death penalty protocol. The court said that Hobbs’ review “does not constitute good cause for refraining from issuing the warrant.”
To conduct the review, Hobbs has appointed retired U.S. Magistrate Judge David Duncan. The state’s death penalty protocols have come under scrutiny recently after a series of botched executions in other states. Some argue that these incidents demonstrate that the death penalty is inhumane and should be abolished.
The state of Arizona currently has 110 prisoners on death row, according to the Associated Press. The use of the death penalty has been a highly debated issue across the United States, with some arguing that it is a necessary form of punishment for the most heinous crimes, while others argue that it is ineffective, costly, and inhumane.
The controversy surrounding the death penalty has been ongoing for decades. In recent years, however, public opinion has shifted, with more and more people questioning the practice’s morality and effectiveness. Many opponents of the death penalty argue that it is racially biased, with people of color being disproportionately represented on death row. Others argue that it is often applied arbitrarily, with factors such as socioeconomic status and quality of legal representation playing a significant role in determining who receives the death penalty.
Despite the controversy surrounding the death penalty, it remains legal in some states in the United States, including Arizona. However, with the rise of public opposition and ongoing legal challenges to the practice, it remains to be seen how long it will continue to be a part of the country’s criminal justice system.