The Death Penalty in Texas

Future Forum | Mar, 3 2025 6:30PM - 8:30PM

The Death Penalty in Texas

For decades, Texas has been the state most closely associated with the death penalty. That's still true to this day. Rather than dedicating time to one specific case or debating the validity of capital punishment, the Future Forum hosted an intimate conversation centered on the cost, gravity, and frequency of the death penalty in this state.

This conversation, moderated by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Maurice Chammah of The Marshall Project, featured a rich discussion with Richard Linklater, renowned Austin filmmaker and mind behind the recent documentary Hometown Prison, and Estelle Hebron-Jones, death penalty lawyer for the Texas Defender Service and formerly of the Equal Justice Initiative. They touched on a variety of topics, ranging from the death penalty's widespread impacts on communities and families to its deep cultural roots in the Texas criminal justice system.


Speakers included:

  • Estelle Hebron-Jones, Director of Special Projects, Texas Defender Service
  • Richard Linklater, Director of Hometown Prison Documentary
  • Moderator: Maurice Chammah, Staff writer for The Marshall Project, author of Let the Lord Sort Them: The Rise and Fall of the Death Penalty

The conversation was hosted in the 10th-floor Atrium of the LBJ Presidential Library. 

LBJ Library photo by Jay Godwin
(L-R) Maurice Chammah, Estelle Hebron-Jones and Richard Linklater. LBJ Library photo by Jay Godwin.
LBJ Library photo by Jay Godwin
LBJ Library photo by Jay Godwin

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The Future Forum is the LBJ Presidential Library's vibrant, public policy discussion forum. Join today for access to thought-provoking programs with speakers and attendees offering diverse perspectives and dialogue about the social, political, and civic issues facing us today.

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Email: futureforum@lbjfoundation.org

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