US revival of firing squad executions reflects militarised justice, racialised capital punishment legacy
Original framing: “US to publicly execute former soldier by firing squad” — Financial Times
The firing squad’s revival is not a historical aberration but a deliberate return to methods used during Reconstruction to execute Black soldiers and during the Cold War to silence dissenters. The last military firing squad execution occurred in 1961, targeting a Black soldier, and its reintroduction now mirrors the racialised and militarised justice systems of the past. Historical patterns show that capital punishment in the US has always been a tool of racial control, with Black and Latino soldiers disproportionately targeted. This framing obscures how the current moment is a direct lineage of these oppressive practices, rather than an anomaly.
The revival of firing squad executions in the US is not an isolated legal act but a symptom of a deeply militarised and racialised justice system that prioritises retribution over rehabilitation.
Historical patterns reveal that such methods have long been tools of state control, particularly against Black, Latino, and Indigenous communities, while cross-cultural comparisons expose the US’s global isolation in clinging to capital punishment. The absence of Indigenous knowledge—such as restorative justice practices—and marginalised voices in this narrative underscores how the system is designed to silence those most affected. Scientific evidence further dismantles the myth of executions as 'justice,' demonstrating their inefficacy and cruelty. A trickster reading reveals the absurdity of a nation that weaponises medieval punishment while failing to address veteran trauma or economic despair. The solution lies not in incremental reforms but in systemic shifts: abolition of military executions, restorative justice programs, truth commissions, and decriminalisation of veteran-related offenses. These pathways would align the US with global human rights standards while addressing the root causes of violence—economic inequality, racial injustice, and untreated trauma—rather than perpetuating cycles of state-sanctioned murder.