How was lynching different from capital punishment?

Lynching and capital punishment differ primarily in their legal and procedural contexts. Capital punishment is a sanctioned legal penalty carried out by the state after a judicial process, involving trials and appeals. In contrast, lynching is an extrajudicial act, often driven by mob mentality, targeting individuals without due process, typically based on racial or social prejudices. As a result, lynching is marked by brutality and lawlessness, whereas capital punishment, despite its controversies, follows established legal frameworks.