Death Penalty in the U.S.

Death Penalty in the U.S.

Published: May 04, 2016

This pod­cast dis­cuss­es the his­to­ry of the death penal­ty in Arkansas, how it is car­ried out in the state, and exec­u­tive and leg­isla­tive efforts to repeal or rein­tro­duce cap­i­tal pun­ish­ment. Arkansas’ use of the death penal­ty has mir­rored the pol­i­tics of race in the state, and the pod­cast explores some sen­si­tive issues relat­ing to racial bias, lynch­ing, and cap­i­tal pun­ish­ment. It also dis­cuss­es the state’s reen­act­ment of the death penal­ty after Furman v. Georgia and cur­rent issues with lethal injec­tion drugs.

Death Penalty in the U.S.

Published: Mar 03, 2015

Connecticut had an infa­mous his­to­ry as far as the death penal­ty was con­cerned. Connecticut is believed to have exe­cut­ed a 12 year-old in 1786 — the youngest per­son ever exe­cut­ed in the his­to­ry of the United States. Legal issues have yet to resolve the sta­tus of Connecticut’s cur­rent death row pop­u­la­tion, despite the death penal­ty being abol­ished in Connecticut in 2012.

Death Penalty in the U.S.

Published: Mar 03, 2015

Illinois had a long his­to­ry of racial bias in its imple­men­ta­tion of the death penal­ty. Numerous stud­ies and com­mis­sions led to the Illinois State Legislature abol­ish­ing cap­i­tal pun­ish­ment in the state in 2011.

Death Penalty in the U.S.

Published: Feb 20, 2015

The emp­ty­ing of death row by Governor Tony Anaya in 1986 set the tone for the ero­sion of sup­port for the death penal­ty in New Mexico. As a state with a grow­ing Roman Catholic and non-white pop­u­la­tion, the shift­ing demo­graph­ics became appar­ent in 2009 when Gov. Richardson asked his con­stituents for feed­back on death penal­ty abolition.

Death Penalty in the U.S.

Published: Feb 20, 2015

New York car­ried out more exe­cu­tions than any state oth­er than Virgina between 1608 and 1972. However, in the 1960s, the state leg­is­la­ture began to chip away at what con­sti­tut­ed a cap­i­tal crime. In 2004, the state’s high­est court declared the death penal­ty vio­lates the state con­sti­tu­tion due to arbi­trari­ness and a state appel­late court effec­tive­ly vacat­ed death row in 2007.

Death Penalty in the U.S.

Published: Feb 09, 2015

In 2006, New Jersey became the first state to leg­isla­tive­ly impose a mora­to­ri­um on exe­cu­tions. This mora­to­ri­um would be the pre­cur­sor to the state’s abo­li­tion of the death penal­ty in 2007.

Death Penalty in the U.S.

Published: Feb 09, 2015

A cap­i­tal mur­der tri­al wrought with prej­u­dice in the 18^th cen­tu­ry set the foun­da­tion for a state that would abol­ish the death penal­ty twice in the next 200 years. This abo­li­tion­ist cul­ture led to con­tro­ver­sy when Governor Lincoln Chafee refused to trans­fer a mur­der sus­pect to Federal custody.

Death Penalty in the U.S.

Published: Oct 31, 2014

The District of Columbia is a spe­cial area that has over­sight on both the local and fed­er­al lev­els. This unique sta­tus has led to a dynam­ic with the death penal­ty that is not found in any state in the US.

Death Penalty in the U.S.

Published: Oct 31, 2014

Massachusetts has a long his­to­ry of cap­i­tal pun­ish­ment ever since it was an English colony in the 17^th cen­tu­ry. However, a famous case involv­ing two Italian immi­grants may have been the turn­ing point against cap­i­tal pun­ish­ment in Massachusetts.

Death Penalty in the U.S.

Published: Oct 24, 2014

“Uncivilized and impos­si­ble to enforce.” This was the sen­ti­ment of Iowa in 1872 when the state ini­tial­ly abol­ished cap­i­tal pun­ish­ment. What fol­lowed was a series of events that led to the rein­state­ment, and sec­ond abo­li­tion of the death penalty.