Publication Date
Winter 12-3-2024
Degree Level
B.A.
Program
Honors
First Advisor
Steven D. Glassner, Ph.D.
Second Advisor
Dr. Camille Langston
Document Type
Thesis
Abstract
Historically, final statements of condemned individuals prior to execution have shown a pattern of the presence of some type of religious sentiment. However, the justification and reasoning behind religious remarks still remains elusive given the finality of the event. The State of Texas is unique given the state provides a substantial amount of information pertaining to final statements due to the recording process of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ). Similar to rituals of recording condemned individuals’ last statements from the fourteenth century, prison wardens in Texas give the condemned an opportunity to share their last words, which are subsequently recorded. This study draws from the final statements of individuals executed in the State of Texas to examine the religious content of two hundred inmates’ last statements. A total of one hundred statements that span from the years of 1982 to 1995 and one hundred that span from the years of 2012 to 2024 were compiled in an effort to assess how the invocations might reflect broader psychological coping strategies in death row inmates when faced with imminent death. Utilizing the aforementioned samples, the current study examines patterns of religiosity in final statements to determine if invocations have persisted over time or if they have diminished based on various social factors. Overall, results of the study show that religiosity in the statements has remained consistent through the cohorts selected for the sample but has shifted in focus based on different demographic factors of the inmates.
Recommended Citation
Podwika, M., Glassner, S. D., & Langston, C. (2024, December 3). Famous last words: A study of faith in Texas death row inmates.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.