There are still some who argue for the reinstatement of public or televised executions, and the arguments for both sides of this issue raise valid points. I believe the obvious arguments against televising or making public an execution are first and foremost the condemned person's right to privacy, and also the simple fact that watching a human life end would be shocking and upsetting to many members of our society. An argument for allowing viewing of executions was made by Phillip Weise; he asserts that "televised executions ought to be legally mandated to fully educate the public about the political and physical effects of capital punishment". .
An interesting addition to the issue of public execution occurred in 2001, when Timothy McVeigh requested to have his execution publicly broadcast. Prison officials had been contemplating a closed circuit broadcast within the prison for approximately 250 family members of McVeigh's victims who all wished to watch the proceedings. Mr. McVeigh raised equal access concerns, and therefore made the request for a public broadcast, which was summarily denied by prison officials (Compton, 2001 para. 2). Death Penalty sentencing in the United States is a subject that always evokes strong opinions both for and against the execution of criminals in our correctional system. The issue of capital punishment incites passionate arguments from both sides, no matter what a persons view is on the issue, strong emotions always seem to be attached to their particular opinion. Both proponents and opponents publish gross amounts of material supporting their particular views in the hopes of gaining adversaries for their particular side. A simple internet search for "capital punishment" turns up hundreds of website listings which contain thousands of pages of documents and essays on the subject. .
According to The Bureau of Justice statistics and history on the death penalty, in 1967 the Supreme Court ceased all executions until a ruling could be made on the constitutionality of capital punishment, in particular whether it could be considered cruel and unusual punishment, thus violating the constitution.
