With executions down, will the death penalty disappear?

The death penalty has been slowly on the decline in the U.S. Tough-on-crime Texas has also seen a decline in its use. What could that mean for the future of the penalty here?

Read the full story — which is part of a series called State of Execution — at Texas Standard. The series also includes a look at elderly inmates and a story about the emotional toll of the death penalty on victims' families.

Read more from The Texas Tribune:

• After a nearly four-hour delay while waiting on final appeals in the U.S. Supreme Court, Terry Edwards was executed Thursday night for a robbery turned murder he claimed he did not commit.
• Here is a look at the inmates currently on Texas' death row.