retentionist

1 9.2

A person who wants to keep a law or practice, for example the death penalty

noun
/rɪˈtɛnʃənɪst/

: retencionista

Many supporters of the death penalty identify as retentionists, arguing it deters crime and delivers justice.

Examples

As Boris Johnson expressed in the April 17, 2003, Telegraph, current Iraqi policy about historical artifacts is "about as retentionist as a burst paper bag."

Academic text (2003)
One of the leaders of the ACCP is William Pearlstein, a lawyer who characterized Iraq's cultural property laws under Hussein as "retentionist."

Academic text (2003)
And part of this owes to the fact that nationalist retentionist values, he says, are not democratic.

Academic text (2008)
Although these numbers support such a trend, the violations of the human rights of those prisoners in the retentionist countries continue to be a major concern.

Blog text (27)
The retentionist movement in the state seeks to maintain capital punishment despite growing opposition.
Activists argue that retentionists ignore the ethical concerns surrounding the death penalty.

Synonyms

upholder

vsretentionist

1 5.5

A person who supports a belief, cause, or tradition

is narrower, favouring keeping specific laws or practices, often harsh penalties

antireform

vsretentionist

7.2

A person who opposes changes in politics or society

supports keeping existing laws rather than opposing all reforms

Antonyms

abolitionist

1 5.2

A person who wants to end systems like prisons or police and use community programs instead

How Supportive

hardliner

17 7.5

retentionist

1 9.2

supporter

810 1.0

neutral

198 3.6

opponent

785 2.1

abolitionist

1 5.2

Surface Forms

retentionist singular

retentionists plural

Morphology

retentionist = retention (transparent) = retention + ist

Formation from the noun 'retention' with the productive agentive suffix '-ist' yields a person who supports or advocates retention, a straightforward derivation.

Etymology

Retentionist comes from retain, which means 'to keep' or 'hold', and the ending -ist means 'a person who supports or practices something'. So a retentionist is someone who wants to 'hold on to' a law or practice (for example the death penalty) rather than remove it.