Capital Punishment: The Roots of America’s Support and Germany’s Opposition
(Joshua Kleinfeld)
In Germany, capital punishment is constitutionally prohibited at the federal level and commonly regarded as a human rights violation. In the United States, capital punishment is constitutionally permitted, 35 states and the federal government have passed legislation implementing it, and about 3,300 prisoners currently await execution. A difference so dramatic, particularly between two of the leading legal systems of the Western world, calls out for explanation. Why have America and Germany diverged so dramatically in their stances toward capital punishment? What are the roots of the divergence?
On one level, this is a question about how Germany and the United States came to have such different stances toward capital punishment—a causal question that calls for a sociological or historical response. But on another level, this is a question about the ideas standing behind capital punishment in the United States and against capital punishment in Germany—a philosophical question about justice.
Samstag, 24.10.
IG Farben-Gebäude 1.411
9.00-9.30 Uhr
Joshua Kleinfeld (Frankfurt): Toward a Theory of Capital Punishment
9.30-10.00 Uhr
Lutz Eidam (Hamburg): Capital Punishment in Germany and the United States: Historical Roots and Current Arguments
10.00-10.30 Uhr
Gabriel Mendlow (New Haven): Capital Punishment and Moral Uncertainty
10.30-10.45 Uhr
Kaffeepause
10.45-11.15 Uhr
Questions & Answers, Moderator and Panelists
11.15-12.15 Uhr
Questions & Answers, Audience and Panelists
Diskutant und Moderator: Benjamin Steiner
