• Obama once opined that the system of investigating and prosecuting capital crimes was so
flawed that the nation should declare a moratorium on executions, like the one imposed in Illinois.

• He made a statement in 2004 saying that he supported the death penalty for certain crimes
though he does not support how it is administered.

• Obama seems to support capital punishment in certain cases where it is considered
absolutely essential. This he attributes to cases where the crime committed is so outrageous that
the law has no other way to show its outrage except to carry out the ultimate punishment. As
examples he listed mass murders, the rape and murder of a child etc.

• Obama made a significant effort to establish mandatory taping of interrogations and
confessions. Obama firmly believes that no innocent victim should end up on death row and at the
same time no guilty person should go free. He made all attempts to get the bill on the said issue
approved, and his state Illinois was the first to require taping by statute.

• Obama voted no for mandatory killing of gang members who kill cops.

• In his book 'Audacity of Hope' he says he saw little evidence that the death penalty is a
deterrent.

• Death penalty opponents have a hope that Obama will lend a sympathetic ear to them despite
his support for the limited use of executions. Their hope is that he will use more safeguards in
Federal cases and eventually spare some prisoners.

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