Description
THE BEST AND WORST OF TIMES: CAPITAL PUNISHMENT, HUMAN RIGHTS, AND THE RISE OF AUTHORITARIANISM
The death penalty has seen a sharp decline in both the state of Texas and the United States. While there were ninety-eight executions in the US in 1998, a record high, there were only eleven in 2021. After a record forty executions in 2000, the state of Texas executed only three prisoners in 2021. Multiple factors have contributed to this decline, including, for example, the expense of capital prosecutions and the debunking of flawed forensic science. The decline in executions has not been essentially partisan, as members of both major political parties have found reason to reduce vocal support for capital punishment. Indeedthe dramatic decline in executions suggests that the abolition of the death penalty could happen within a few years rather than in generations to come. At the same time, authoritarian sectors within the US have embraced political authoritarianism. In 2020, toward the end of the presidency of Donald Trump, there were ten executions of federal prisoners after a hiatus of seventeen years. Since authoritarian-leaning political candidates often adopt the cues of Trump, a rise in capital punishment can be expected in states where Trump-supporting leaders hold office. The erosion of civil liberties and the destabilization of legal and political institutions under authoritarian governments could revitalize capital punishment. In addition, the demonization of racial minorities, immigrants, and the socially marginalized could whet public appetite for executions. Link:
https://utsa.zoom.us/j/93934603942?pwd=MSt3U3c2eHB4Q2xhc1dxdkl2TENRdz09
Passcode: Friday2022
Department of Political Science and Geography Speaker Series: Dr. Rachel Jennings
Location
VIA ZOOM
Category:
Campus Events
