Prof. Bessler to Appear in C-SPAN Panel Discussion About Death Penalty, Jan. 7
January 4, 2017
Contact: Public Affairs
Phone: 410.837.5739
John Bessler, associate professor in the University of Baltimore School of Law, will appear on C-SPAN 2 this Saturday, Jan. 7 at 3:30 p.m. as part of a panel discussion on the death penalty and the Constitution. The panel was recorded last month during the National Constitution Center's Bill of Rights Day Book Festival.
Prof. Bessler has published several writings on the death penalty. His latest book, The Death Penalty as Torture: From the Dark Ages to Abolition, is set for release early this year.
A publisher's summary of the book says: "In The Death Penalty as Torture, Prof. John Bessler argues that death sentences and executions are medieval relics. In a world in which 'mock' or simulated executions, as well as a host of other non-lethal acts, are already considered to be torturous, he contends that death sentences and executions should be classified under the rubric of torture. Unlike in the Middle Ages, penitentiaries—one of the products of the Enlightenment—now exist throughout the globe to house violent offenders. With the rise of life without parole sentences, and with more than four of five nations no longer using executions, The Death Penalty as Torture calls for the recognition of a peremptory, international law norm against the death penalty's use."
Read the full summary here.
Learn more about Prof. Bessler and the University of Baltimore School of Law.