The Death Penalty: in Context

Where did capital punishment begin? Why does it endure in the U.S. today? Global expert Professor Jordan Steiker shares his exceptional insights on America’s path from abolitionist roots and racist “legal” lynching to landmark Supreme Court cases.

We unpack how race, religion and American Federalism has shaped capital punishment. From Furman’s false “end” to the controversies of lethal injection, we trace why executions have declined - yet the death penalty refuses to die.