La peine capitale aux États-Unis

In this discussion, Jean-Jacques Salomon outlines the history of the death penalty in the United States. Drawing on several recent publications on the subject, he points out that although the current American support for capital punishment does indeed have cultural roots, it runs counter to the trend in the other major democracies (especially in Europe) and also to the abolitionist movement which was very strong in the USA in the 1970s. As a result, America is among the countries with the highest number of executions per year, alongside the toughest dictatorships (China and Iran). This situation is to be deplored, yet it is unlikely to change for the better, given the renewed strength of American public opinion since September 11th 2001.