Is this you? As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.
Claim your profile
Articles by Carolyn Strange
America’s death penalty: why executions are rising again Original
After two decades of decline, the number of executions in the United States began rising sharply again in 2025. Last year, 47 people were put to death – the highest number in more than 15 years. So far in 2026, another 31 people have been executed. The resurgence comes amid renewed controversy over capital punishment, following the failed execution of Christa Pike in Tennessee and a proposal to livestream a military execution, which President Donald Trump subsequently walked back.
Live firing squad exposes brutal death penalty politics
By Carolyn Strange The failed lethal injection of convicted Tennessee murderer Christa Pike, and the proposed livestreamed execution by firing squad of US Army major Nidal Hasan, sentenced to death for 13 murders, drew the world’s attention to America’s exceptional use of the death penalty. In Australia, Queensland’s abolition of the death penalty in 1922, made it the first jurisdiction in the British Empire to do so.
How a botched execution and proposed livestream of a firing squad fit in to the US’ death penalty history Original
The failed lethal injection of convicted Tennessee murderer Christa Pike, and the proposed livestreamed execution by firing squad of US Army major Nidal Hasan, sentenced to death for 13 murders, drew the world’s attention to America’s exceptional use of the death penalty. In Australia, Queensland’s abolition of the death penalty in 1922, made it the first jurisdiction in the British Empire to do so. Western Australia, the final state to do away with capital punishment, abolished it in 1984.
How a botched execution and proposed livestream of a firing squad fit in to the US’ death penalty history
In Australia, Queensland’s abolition of the death penalty in 1922, made it the first jurisdiction in the British Empire to do so. Western Australia, the final state to do away with capital punishment, abolished it in 1984. The Conversation Carolyn Strange, Professor of History, School of History, ANU, Australian National University Sign up to read this article Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you. Email is required Email is already registered. Please sign in instead.
How a botched execution and proposed livestream of a firing squad fit in to the US’ death penalty history
© 2026 Tolerance.ca ® Inc. All reproduction rights reserved. All information reproduced on the Web pages of www.tolerance.ca (including articles, images, photographs, and logos) is protected by intellectual property rights owned by Tolerance.ca ® Inc. or, in certain cases, by its author. Any reproduction of the information for use other than personal use is prohibited.
A shocking Toronto murder, a troubling defence, and a changed society: an excerpt from a new book
Infamous at the time, the 1956 Toronto murder of Linda Lampkin and trials of Robert Fitton shook up the Canadian justice system, reached into the highest levels of the Canadian government, raised questions about the voluntariness of confessions to police, and brought to public attention legal arguments by the defence about average men “tempted” by sexually precocious females. It was all followed by a shift in public opinion about the death penalty, though that didn’t save Fitton.
A shocking Toronto murder, a troubling defence, and a changed society: an excerpt from a new book Original
Infamous at the time, the 1956 Toronto murder of Linda Lampkin and trials of Robert Fitton shook up the Canadian justice system, reached into the highest levels of the Canadian government, raised questions about the voluntariness of confessions to police, and brought to public attention legal arguments by the defence about average men “tempted” by sexually precocious females. It was all followed by a shift in public opinion about the death penalty, though that didn’t save Fitton.
A shocking Toronto murder, a troubling defence, and a changed society: an excerpt from a new book
Infamous at the time, the 1956 Toronto murder of Linda Lampkin and trials of Robert Fitton shook up the Canadian justice system, reached into the highest levels of the Canadian government, raised questions about the voluntariness of confessions to police, and brought to public attention legal arguments by the defence about average men “tempted” by sexually precocious females. It was all followed by a shift in public opinion about the death penalty, though that didn’t save Fitton.
Defender of death row inmates Julian McMahon joins Erin Patterson's defence
How does the announcement that Julian McMahon has joined Erin Patterson's defence team, currently seeking leave to appeal, connect the case to the history of capital punishment? Subscribe now for unlimited access. or signup to continue reading All articles from our website & app The digital version of Today's Paper Crosswords, Sudoku and Trivia If Patterson had been convicted of murder prior to 1975, the year Victoria abolished the death penalty, she would have been sentenced to hang.
Where's the government on domestic violence?
Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under Creative Commons licence. You are free to republish this article both online and in print. We ask that you follow some simple guidelines. Please do not edit the piece, ensure that you attribute the author, their institute, and mention that the article was originally published on BroadAgenda. By copying the HTML below, you will be adhering to all our guidelines. Copy this HTML into your CMS Press Ctrl-C to copy
Thinking historically about public health
Thinking historically about public health Alison Bashford1, Carolyn Strange2 1 Department of History, University of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia 2 Research School of Humanities, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia Associate Professor Alison Bashford, Department of History, University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia; Alison.bashford{at}arts.usyd.edu.au Abstract This paper argues that analysing past public health policies calls for scholarship that integrates insights not...
Why Cheerfulness Mattered in the Antarctica Expedition of 1912
The icon indicates free access to the linked research on JSTOR. Robert Falcon Scott’s “doomed” Antarctica expedition of 1912 is frequently associated with stoic masculinity. The Worst Journey in the World was Apsley Cherry-Garrand’s verdict in his now classic re-telling of the British Antarctic Expedition (BAE).
Gay Village killings show there's still tension between Toronto cops, LGBTQ community
Bruce McArthur, who allegedly lured men into sexual encounters, killed them and disposed of their bodies, faces eight murder charges in Toronto. The case has saddened and angered many, especially those from LGBTQ2S+ communities. They’ve accused police of failing to investigate the case seriously. Some community activists believe homophobia and racism lengthened the time it took police to make an arrest.
Gay Village killings show there's still tension between Toronto cops, LGBQT community
Bruce McArthur, who allegedly lured men into sexual encounters, killed them and disposed of their bodies, faces eight murder charges in Toronto. The case has saddened and angered many, especially those from LGBTQ2S+ communities. They’ve accused police of failing to investigate the case seriously. Some community activists believe homophobia and racism lengthened the time it took police to make an arrest.
Determining the Punishment of Sex Criminals in Confederation-Era Canada: A Matter of National Policy
1 Jonathan Swainger, The Canadian Department of Justice and the Completion of Confederation, 1867–78 (Vancouver: ubc Press, 2000). 2 Desmond H. Brown, The Genesis of the Canadian Criminal Code of 1892 (Toronto: University of Toronto Press for the Osgoode Society, 1989).
The anniversary of Steven Truscott’s death sentence: From guilt to innocence
On Oct. 1, 1959, Canadians awoke to stunning news: A fourteen-year-old boy had been sentenced to death for the rape and murder of a schoolmate. The two-week trial that ended with the judge’s statement – that Steven Truscott be “hanged by the neck until dead” – was closed to the media. But that was about to change. Truscott was “wrongfully convicted” of the murder of Lynne Harper, his 12-year-old schoolmate in southwestern Ontario.
Discretionary Justice i" by Carolyn Strange
Historians of early-modern England and British colonies have productively applied Douglas Hay’s germinal study of mercy. In contrast, historians of the United States have overlooked the utility of the conceptual tools Hay provided to prize open the mitigation of punishment across time and place. In the decade that followed the First World War, disputes over the proper role of mercy and administrative discretion were as heated as they were in Hanoverian England.
Show More
loading
Actions
Is this you?
As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.Get in touch with Carolyn
Contact Carolyn, search articles and posts on X, monitor coverage, and track replies from one place.
Learn more about Muck Rack