Should the Death Penalty Be Abolished?

Streaming on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify.

Topics: Law

Public Release Date: April 15, 2015

In the fifty years since the Supreme Court reinstated the death penalty, it has been one of America’s most divisive forms of punishment. While it is still legal in 27 states, as well as under federal and military law, its use has become increasingly concentrated in a small number of jurisdictions, and 142 executions occurred in the past five years. In the end, what does justice require? Is there a better method that should be reserved for crimes deemed so horrific that no lesser sentence appears sufficient?

For some people, the death penalty delivers proportionate punishment for the worst offenders, provides closure for victims’ families, and ensures those who commit the most horrific murders can never harm again. Others argue that no criminal justice system is immune from error, pointing to wrongful convictions, racial disparities, inconsistent sentencing, and the moral implications of allowing the state to take a human life. They also question whether life without parole provides the same public safety without the irreversible consequences.

With this background, we debate the question: Should the Death Penalty Be Abolished?

ARGUING YES:

• Diann Rust-Tierney: Former Executive Director of the National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty

• Barry Scheck: Co-Director of the Innocence Project, Professor at Cardozo Law

ARGUING NO:

• Robert Blecker: Professor at New York Law School

• Kent Scheidegger: Legal Director of the Criminal Justice Legal Foundation

MODERATOR-IN-CHIEF:

• John Donvan: Emmy award-winning journalist