Earlier this week, I spoke with KYW Newsradio reporter Matt Leon about “The death penalty: questions posed by data and possible alternatives” for the Philadelphia radio station’s podcast, KYW Newsradio InDepth. The 23-minute interview, which had a broadcast date of 9:30 p.m. on September 21, is also available on Apple Podcasts at this link.
I was thinking about how best to summarize what we talked about during the interview, which included some historical background and segments on the unreliability of death sentences, official misconduct, (non)deterrence, and the impact of the death penalty process on victims’ families, among other topics. Ultimately, I decided the station’s summary of the interview was the way to go: “Views on the death penalty have evolved over time, and Robert Dunham has some data that shows why. The Director of the Death Penalty Policy Project, Special Counsel at Phillips Black, and Adjunct Professor of Death Penalty Law at Temple University shares his thoughts on the complex issues surrounding capital punishment, and how, in his mind, the United States could adopt more practical alternatives.”
Again, you can listen to the interview here: The death penalty: questions posed by data and possible alternatives.
Errata: At one point in the interview, I misspoke, calling the Supreme Court decision that barred the use of the death penalty for rape in which no one was killed “Coker v. Virginia.” I don’t know how or why Virginia came out of my mouth — the decision (which I taught in class at Temple the day before) is Coker v. Georgia.