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Death Penalty

Death Penalty

Few public policy issues have inflamed passions as consistently and as strongly as the debate over capital punishment. Religious communities have been deeply involved on both sides of the issue, drawing on teachings and traditions of justice and the dignity of human life. The debate over the death penalty has been complicated in recent years by questions regarding both the fairness of the criminal justice system and the possibility of reform and rehabilitation among death row inmates.



Special Report: Reconsidering the Death Penalty
This December 2007 special report, updated on June 26, 2008, examines the most recent Supreme Court rulings on the death penalty as well as public opinion on, and the history of, the death penalty.

justice Lethal Injection on Trial
An analysis of the arguments before the Supreme Court in Baze v. Rees.

death penalty public opinion  An Enduring Majority
Americans continue to support the death penalty.
Map Map: Death Row Population and Executions Since 1976
State-by-state death penalty statistics.

death penalty public opinion Religious Groups' Official Positions on Capital Punishment
A breakdown of 16 major religious groups' views on the death penalty.
RP08 logo Compare Candidates on the Death Penalty
Religion & Politics '08 offers a comparison of each candidate's stance on capital punishment.

supreme court Death Penalty Timeline
A timeline of important court cases and legal milestones since 1972.

Photo Credits: Execution chamber at Huntsville, Texas penitentary: Ken Light/Corbis; Justice statue: Phil O'Connor/Corbis; Religious symbols: Sébastien Désarmaux/Corbis; Supreme Court: AP

Pew Forum Resources on Death Penalty

Transcripts

The Supreme Court Considers New Case on Capital Punishment
April 4, 2008

The Death Penalty Today: Defend It, Mend It or End It?
July 21, 2006

Governor George Ryan: An Address on the Death Penalty
June 3, 2002

A Call for Reckoning: Religion and the Death Penalty
January 25, 2002

Religious Reflections on the Death Penalty
June 5, 2001

Related Transcripts
All Transcripts

Publications

An Impassioned Debate: An Overview of the Death Penalty in America
December 2007

Lethal Injection on Trial
December 2007

An Enduring Majority
December 2007

Capital Punishment's Constant Constituency: An American Majority
June 2007

Related Publications
All Publications

Religion News

Carter Attorney General to Head Panel on Death Penalty
The Washington Post
July 11, 2008

California's death penalty process is 'dysfunctional,' panel finds
Los Angeles Times
July 1, 2008

Opinion: A Death Penalty Puzzle
The Washington Post
June 30, 2008

Related News
All News

Other Resources

General Information
Advocacy Organizations
Religious Organizations

Religious Landscape Survey
Religion and Politics 2008
Candidate profiles, state statistics and analysis of religion’s impact on the 2008 campaign

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