Today, The Tennessean newspaper reported that the state plans to execute 10 people beginning in the new year ("TN makes unprecedented push to execute 10 killers"). This is almost double the number of people executed in Tennessee over the past 40 years.
While it may seem hyperbolic to describe these planned executions as a form of "mass murder," I believe that the hyperbolic nature of capital punishment warrants such a description. And the state of Tennessee seems to agree, at least on some level. The standard way of recording the "manner of death" on an executed prisoner's death certificate in Tennessee is as "homicide." A homicide committed by the state, and by proxy by the people of Tennessee.
Over the next few months, I will explore some of the issues raised by state homicide in a series of blog posts on New APPS. I welcome your constructive and critical feedback.
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