ABSTRACT
Within the death penalty literature, Texas is infamous for its long and troubled history with executions. This chapter explores the mythos of the Texas capital punishment system. The problem with romanticizing Texas as the last state truly committed to doling out frontier justice is the image does not hold up under close inspection. In reality, Texas' capital punishment legacy is more nuanced than many accounts allow for. Two recent public opinion surveys estimate three out of every four Texans support capital punishment, the latter demonstrates only half of Texans support the death penalty when contrasted with life imprisonment without parole (LWOP). The Texas Legislature proposed 16 bills addressing aspects of capital punishment during the 65th legislative session. Of these, only one was passed—House Bill 945 outlawed the electric chair and introduced lethal injection as the lawful means to execute capital offenders.
