Daniel R. Williams

Many capital punishment statutes permit jurors to consider evidence of a convicted capital murderer’s ‘‘future dangerousness.’’

When we think of adjudicating guilt, we think of trials—witnesses questioned, lawyers locked in forensic combat, juries attentive to the subtleties of the case in preparation for their deliberations, and the verdict that will ultimately puncture the tension in the courtroom.

People who disagree about something can be induced to set aside their disagreement to unite against a common enemy.

Sometimes a defendant facing the death penalty once will have to undergo another trial for the same capital offense and face the death penalty again.