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.
 | Lethal Injection on Trial An analysis of the arguments before the Supreme Court in Baze v. Rees. |  |
An Enduring Majority Americans continue to support the death penalty. |
 | Map: Death Row Population and Executions Since 1976 State-by-state death penalty statistics. |
 | Religious Groups' Official Positions on Capital Punishment A breakdown of 16 major religious groups' views on the death penalty. |
 | Compare Candidates on the Death Penalty Religion & Politics '08 offers a comparison of each candidate's stance on capital punishment. |
 | 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
TranscriptsThe Supreme Court Considers New Case on Capital Punishment The Death Penalty Today: Defend It, Mend It or End It? Governor George Ryan: An Address on the Death Penalty A Call for Reckoning: Religion and the Death Penalty Religious Reflections on the Death Penalty |
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PublicationsAn Impassioned Debate: An Overview of the Death Penalty in America Lethal Injection on Trial An Enduring Majority Capital Punishment's Constant Constituency: An American Majority |
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Religion News2008 decline in U.S. executions has states reflecting on capital punishment In N.C., death penalty gets rarer Wash. prison doctor resigns over executions Other ResourcesGeneral Information |
