Tengrinews.kz – US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order reinstating the death penalty in Washington, D.C., according to a White House release.
The directive allows the US Attorney General and the federal prosecutor for the District of Columbia to impose capital punishment for the most serious crimes committed in the capital.
Washington, D.C. abolished the death penalty in 1981, and in a 1992 referendum residents voted against bringing it back.
Officials noted that the decision comes amid rising concerns over crime rates in the city. In 2024, Washington recorded a homicide rate of 27.3 per 100,000 residents — nearly six times higher than in New York, and also above Atlanta, Chicago and Compton.
Currently, the death penalty is legally permitted in more than 25 US states, including Texas, Florida, California and Georgia. However, not all of them actively carry out executions due to moratoriums or governors’ suspensions.
The White House also recalled that in late August Trump signed another order to abolish the cashless bail system in Washington.
Throughout the year, Trump has introduced several emergency measures, deployed the National Guard and expanded federal authority in the capital, citing growing threats to public safety.