“‘He Never Had a Chance’: Capital Defendants in Contexts of Racist Fear” (Arlin M. Adams Center for Law and Society)

The Arlin M. Adams Center for Law and Society presents a lecture by capital punishment expert Paul Kaplan, an associate professor in the School of Public Affairs’ Program in Criminal Justice at San Diego State University. Although in many senses capital punishment is withering in America, use of the death penalty survives unabated in small pockets of the country, especially the collection of southern states that comprise the U.S. Bible Belt. In his talk, Kaplan will discuss how capital mitigation—a sensibility that sees capital defendants as damaged human beings rather than terrifying monsters—offers an alternative to hegemonic narratives that sustain high rates of execution in parts of the American South.

Editorial Note: Event resubmitted with updated information.

Price: Free and open to the public