America's New Death Penalty: The Charles Hamilton Houston Institute on Race and Justice

The Charles Hamilton Houston Institute on Race and Justice is a non-profit organization that works to dismantle the death penalty in the United States. The Institute was founded in 1994 by a group of lawyers, activists, and academics who were committed to fighting racial injustice in the criminal justice system. The Institute's work has helped to save the lives of dozens of death row inmates, and it has played a major role in the national movement to abolish the death penalty.

Life without Parole: America's New Death Penalty? (The Charles Hamilton Houston Institute Series on Race and Justice Book 1)

by Ian Bremmer

5 out of 5

Language	:	English
File size	:	1767 KB
Text-to-Speech	:	Enabled
Screen Reader	:	Supported
Enhanced typesetting	:	Enabled
Word Wise	:	Enabled
Print length	:	346 pages
X-Ray for textbooks	:	Enabled

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The Death Penalty in America

The death penalty is a legal punishment that has been used in the United States for centuries. However, the use of the death penalty has declined significantly in recent years. In 2020, only 17 people were executed in the United States, the lowest number since 1991. This decline is due in part to the growing recognition that the death penalty is a cruel and unusual punishment, and that it is not an effective deterrent to crime.

The death penalty is also deeply flawed because it is applied in a racially discriminatory manner. Black people are more likely to be sentenced to death than white people for the same crimes. In fact, a study by the Death Penalty Information Center found that black people are more than twice as likely to be sentenced to death than white people for the same crimes.

The Charles Hamilton Houston Institute on Race and Justice

The Charles Hamilton Houston Institute on Race and Justice was founded in 1994 to address the racial injustice in the criminal justice system. The Institute's mission is to dismantle the death penalty and to create a more just and equitable society. The Institute's work is focused on three main areas:

• Litigation: The Institute provides legal representation to death row inmates and works to challenge the constitutionality of the death penalty.
• Policy advocacy: The Institute works to change public policy and to build a consensus against the death penalty.
• Education and outreach: The Institute educates the public about the death penalty and its impact on communities of color.

The Institute's Impact

The Charles Hamilton Houston Institute on Race and Justice has had a significant impact on the movement to abolish the death penalty. The Institute's work has helped to save the lives of dozens of death row inmates, and it has played a major role in raising awareness about the racial bias in the criminal justice system.

In 2015, the Institute was part of a coalition of organizations that successfully lobbied the state of Maryland to abolish the death penalty. In 2016, the Institute helped to win a landmark Supreme Court case that found that the death penalty is unconstitutional for juvenile offenders. And in 2019, the Institute was part of a group of organizations that convinced the state of Virginia to pass a bill that will end the death penalty.

The Charles Hamilton Houston Institute on Race and Justice is a leading organization in the fight to abolish the death penalty in the United States. The Institute's work is based on the belief that the death penalty is a cruel and unusual punishment, that it is not an effective deterrent to crime, and that it is applied in a racially discriminatory manner.

The Institute's work has helped to save the lives of dozens of death row inmates, and it has played a major role in the national movement to abolish the death penalty. The Institute is committed to continuing its work until the death penalty is abolished once and for all.

Life without Parole: America's New Death Penalty? (The Charles Hamilton Houston Institute Series on Race and Justice Book 1)

by Ian Bremmer

5 out of 5

Language	:	English
File size	:	1767 KB
Text-to-Speech	:	Enabled
Screen Reader	:	Supported
Enhanced typesetting	:	Enabled
Word Wise	:	Enabled
Print length	:	346 pages
X-Ray for textbooks	:	Enabled

FREE