capital punishment
a death sentence
to be punishable by death
to be sentenced / condemned to death
to hand down / to impose a death sentence
to carry the death penalty
to be on death row
a death row inmate
to execute / to put to death
the executioner / an execution
to reestore / to reinstate the death penalty
restoration / reinstatement (of)
to abolish, to repeal / abolition
to do away with the death penalty
an abolitionist
to ban / to outlaw the death penalty
to appeal (against a decision)
to file a petition for clemency
to deny (sb) clemency
to reverse a sentence
to go ahead with an execution
to reject a request / a plea for clemency
to halt an execution
to win a reprieve
to stay an execution
a stay of execution
to grant clemency
to decapitate, to behead / to guillotine
to stone / stoning
the gas chamber
to hang [hanged] / hanging
to die on the gallows
the electric chair / the chair
the firing squad
to inject / a lethal injection
to overturn / to quash a conviction
a life without parole sentence
life without parole (LWOP)
to commute a death sentence
to pardon sb / pardon
to spare a life
an opponent to the death penalty / a capital puunishment opponent
to oppose
to go against the grain (of civilisation)
to be unconstitutional
to be ethically inacceptable
to take the law into one's own hands
state-sponsored killing
the sacredness of human life
to violate fundamental rights
to be applied unfairly
the mentally handicapped
to target ( a minority)
a minor / a juvenile
to be fully responsible for one's acts
to have extenuating circumstances
to be mentally impaired
a low-IQ murderer
to afford the best lawyers
legal aid
an incompetent defense lawyer
a cruel and unsual punishment
agonizing death
a botched execution
to suffer great pain
a method of execution
barbaric
primitive
despicable
callous
unfair
shameful
grisly
chilling
to deter (from)
a detterent (to)
to act as a deterrent
to bring the victim back of life
the high cost of executioin over life in prison
to remove any chance of rehabilitation
a miscarriage of justice
to prove sb's guilt
to unearth fresh evidence
to introduce (new) DNA evidence
to bbe wrongfully convicted
to advocate
to support / to favor
a defender of the death penalty
to be justified on the following grounds
to carry out a death sentence
to uphold [upheld] a death sentence
to protect society (from)
to remove from society
to fit the crime
to prevent re-offending
to act as a deterrent
to be made to suffer in proportion (of)
life in prison is worse than death
a means of retribution
an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth
