Wednesday TV Choice: Dead Man Walking: Dan Walker on Death Row (5, 9pm)

However, the debate over the possible reinstatement of the death penalty has never gone away and tends to intensify in the wake of high-profile murder convictions.

So, to find out more about the issues surrounding capital punishment, presenter Dan Walker heads to the US in this feature-length documentary. He’s travelling to the place that’s been dubbed the execution capital of the world, Huntsville, Texas. It’s certainly home to the most active and prolific death chamber in the United States, which has seen nearly 600 executions since 1982.

It also houses some of the most dangerous inmates in the country, including a prisoner who has been awaiting his fate on death row for over 20 years after being convicted of the brutal killings of his ex-girlfriend and her new partner.

Dan meets the inmate, but also speaks to the son of his victim, who explains why he believes death is the only appropriate punishment.

The presenter wants to learn more about how state-sanctioned executions are carried out, and witnesses the final conversations between a convicted killer who is just days away from death and his spiritual advisor.

Dan also speaks to the prison guards about the hours leading up to the execution, the famed ‘last meal’, and the words that are said to the inmate as they enter the chamber.

The journalist gains a further insight into the process when he is allowed access to a death row execution chamber – he enters the small, dimly lit room containing the gurney where inmates are strapped down, and the room where witnesses observe the final moments. This prompts him to think about how we would feel when faced with the reality of the procedure in the UK.

For many people, one of the major objections to capital punishment is the possibility of an innocent person being put to death.

To find out more about miscarriages of justice, Dan meets a man who spent almost 30 years on death row before being acquitted of the crime and released. How does it feel to spend decades waiting to die, all the while knowing you are innocent, and a year on from his release, has the former inmate managed to adapt back into society? And will Dan’s investigations affect his own views on this deeply contentious issue?

Speaking about the documentary, Dan Walker said: “I have always been fascinated by the American justice system and the arguments around the death penalty.

"Staring into the eyes of a convicted murderer, speaking to someone who was innocent but spent nearly 30 years on death row, and meeting those directly affected by these cases was a real eye-opener.

“I hope viewers see that this issue isn’t as black and white as it may seem from afar and understand why it remains such a thorny and divisive topic.”