Theme:

The death penalty is deeply embedded within sociological and sociolegal structures of power that shape its justification, administration, and endurance. A sociological inquiry into this sanction is essential to understanding the complexity of the state’s use of lethal force and its connection to broader regimes of inequality. Personal narratives and lived experiences reveal that capital punishment disproportionately targets marginalized and financially disadvantaged social, racial, and identity groups, thereby reproducing systemic hierarchies of privilege and exclusion. These dynamics expose how state violence is legitimized and sustained through institutionalized discourses of justice and security. This session situates the death penalty within critical social theories, examining it as a site where class, race, and state authority converge to uphold the state’s hegemonic power.