FILE - In this Oct. 9, 2014, file photo, Department of Corrections officials look through a window from the witness room, at right, outside the newly renovated death chamber at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester, Okla. Even as President Barack Obama tries to make a hard case for sentencing reform, prisoner rehabilitation and confronting racial bias in policing, he has been less clear about the death penalty. Obama has hinted that his support for capital punishment is eroding, but he has refused to discuss what he might call for. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki, File)
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) - Even as President Barack Obama makes a case for overhauling sentences, rehabilitating prisoners and confronting racial bias in policing, he's been less clear about the death penalty.
Obama has hinted that his support for capital punishment is eroding, but he's refused to discuss what he might do.
A Justice Department review has dragged on for 18 months with little mention or momentum. The president recently said he's "deeply concerned" about the death penalty's implementation, though he also acknowledges the issue hasn't been a top priority.
Obama says he plans to weigh in, and considers the issue part of his larger, legacy-minded push for an overhaul of the criminal justice system. White House officials say the president is looking for an appropriate response and wading through the legal ramifications.
FILE - In this Nov. 6, 2015, file photo, President Barack Obama speaks in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington. Even as Obama tries to make a hard case for sentencing reform, prisoner rehabilitation and confronting racial bias in policing, he has been less clear about the death penalty. Obama has hinted that his support for capital punishment is eroding, but he has refused to discuss what he might call for. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)
The Associated Press