News & Announcements
Death and the State: The New Debate Over Capital Punishment
The U.S. Supreme Court's landmark decision in Atkins v. Virginia (June 2002) that executing mentally retarded criminals is unconstitutional comes amid a new public and political debate over capital punishment. Polls reveal that public support for the death penalty has fallen to its lowest point in 20 years. The court has taken notice of this trend in a decision that is certain to stir even more controversy over one of the most emotional social issues in the United States.
In an article published in the Fall 2001 edition of Ideas For An Open Society, Tanya E. Coke — director of the Gideon Project, part of OSI's Criminal Justice Initiative — examines the recent shift in thinking on capital punishment, outlining the key factors that seem to bolster the case for complete abolition.
Read the article.
