Religion & Death Penalty

featureDec 19, 2007

Death Penalty Timeline

Timeline provided by Stateline.org Return to the death penalty issue page The Death Penalty Since 1972 (Links to U.S. Supreme Court decisions provided by oyez.org and the Web site of the U.S. Supreme Court) 1972 Furman v. Georgia: The U.S. Supreme Court effectively voids 40 state death penalty statutes and suspends capital punishment, ruling that […]
reportDec 19, 2007

Lethal Injection on Trial: An Analysis of the Arguments Before the Supreme Court in Baze v. Rees

On Jan. 7, 2008, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments in Baze v. Rees, a case that challenges the constitutionality of lethal injection as it currently is administered by the federal government and 36 states. In the case, the court will attempt to determine the standard that lower courts should employ when evaluating whether […]
reportDec 19, 2007

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

(Updated June 26, 2008) In this article: The role of the courts Lethal injection and the Baze case Child rape and the Kennedy case The history of the death penalty The death penalty worldwide Few public policy issues have inflamed passions as consistently and as strongly as the debate over capital punishment. Religious communities have […]
reportOct 15, 2007

Trends in Attitudes Toward Religion and Social Issues: 1987-2007

As the ’08 elections approach, what are the views of Republicans, Democrats and the general public on “social values” issues? And how have they changed over time?
reportJun 27, 2007

Capital Punishment’s Constant Constituency: An American Majority

(For more recent public opinion data on the death penalty, see a 2011 analysis.) by Robert Ruby, Senior Editor, Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life In the last 35 years, beginning with its temporary moratorium on the death penalty, the Supreme Court has changed its view of capital punishment and done so more than […]
reportAug 17, 2006

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

In recent years, the nation has debated the proper application, morality and constitutionality of the death penalty. In this Pew Forum event transcript, four legal experts candidly debate the death penalty.
transcriptJul 21, 2006

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

National Press Club Washington, D.C. Since the Supreme Court lifted its moratorium on the death penalty 30 years ago, 38 states and the federal government have reinstated capital punishment. In recent years, there has been a nationwide debate over the proper application, morality and constitutionality of the death penalty. Some argue that there are systemic […]
reportAug 3, 2005

Abortion and Rights of Terror Suspects Top Court Issues

Summary of Findings Abortion has dominated the early skirmishing over President Bush’s nomination of John Roberts to the Supreme Court. But the public takes a more expansive view of the court’s agenda. Indeed, about as many Americans rate the rights of detained terrorist suspects as a very important issue for the Supreme Court as say […]
reportAug 3, 2005

About the Survey

Results for this report are based on two separate telephone surveys conducted under the direction of Princeton Survey Research Associates International. The first survey is among a nationwide sample of 1,502 adults, 18 years of age or older, from July 13-17, 2005. For results based on the total sample, one can say with 95% confidence […]
reportJul 16, 2004

Religion and the Death Penalty: A Call for Reckoning

Erik C. Owens, John D. Carlson, and Eric P. Elshtain, eds. Series: The Eerdmans Religion, Ethics, and Public Life Series “Call for Reckoning” Conference (January 25, 2002) Order the Book This important book is sure to foster informed public discussion about the death penalty by deepening readers’ understanding of how religious beliefs and perspectives shape […]