The Center for Death Penalty Studies based at the Criminal Justice Department of Lamar University, Beaumont, Texas, was founded in 2013 by the Centre’s Director, Dr. Sanaz Alasti and Dr. Eric Bronson, Director Strategic Planning and Development.

Mission:

Capital punishment generates enormous controversy. Some, including a number of religious and human rights groups, argue that use of the death penalty is inherently wrong. Other opponents might be willing to support the use of the death penalty in certain circumstances.

The Center for Death Penalty Studies’ mission is to promote engaged research, scholarship and discussion, with a focus on the ways in which issues of capital punishment and democracy impact the lives of global citizens.

The main challenge is examinations of death penalty phenomena, scrutinizing complexities frequently omitted from the narrative of academics and activists. The Center for Death Penalty Studies offers a challenging analysis of issues critical to the death penalty debate.

The center for Death Penalty Studies at Lamar University is striving to achieve the following:

1. provide information about the application of the death penalty in the U.S. and Internationally;
2. assist in developing an informed position on capital punishment; enhance critical thinking, writing, and other communication skills;
3. facilitate critical consumption of published research;produce a better understanding of capital punishment laws in Texas and Middle Eastern countries