DPIC Podcasts

Interview with Michael Fox discussing issues surrounding the death penalty in Japan, including public attitudes towards the death penalty, the way the criminal justice system works and the efforts of abolitionist groups.

(May 1, 2012)

Discusses general issues of the death penalty in America: recent trends, application against minority defendants, support among Hispanics as well as the international use of the death penalty. Presented in Spanish.

(April 2, 2012)

Discusses the international context of the American death penalty, including international trends in capital punishment and how international opinion affects the death penalty in the U.S.

(December 2, 2011)

Focuses on the conditions and the people on death row around the country, including a discussion of the length of time inmates spend on the row and the legal issues related to this confinement.

(October 7, 2011)

A summary of the role of the Supreme Court in the death penalty, including discussion of major decisions by the court on capital punishment.

(August 8, 2011)

A summary of the legal process involved in a death penalty sentence, including jury selection and the appeals process.

(June 28, 2011)

Covers some of the history of executed women in America, as well as issues of gender bias and differences among genders in support for the death penalty.

(May 5, 2011)

Covers the definition of mental illness, Supreme Court rulings related to insanity, mental illness and intellectual disability, and examples of severely mentally ill inmates who have been executed.

(April 4, 2011)

Covers the history of lethal injection, involvement of medical professionals, court rulings, and recent problems with drug availability and protocol changes.

(March 4, 2011)

Answers readers' questions on criminological theories, methods of execution, costs, and the future of the death penalty.

(January 14, 2011)

Answers readers' questions on how prosecutors decide to seek the death penalty, death-qualified juries, DNA testing, and Americans on death row in other countries.

(December 20, 2010)

Covers the variety of victims' families' reactions to the death penalty, the role of victim's family members in sentencing decisions, and victim impact statements.

(August 18, 2010)

Covers the importance of high-quality representation and provides examples of inadequate representation in capital cases including statistics and individual cases.

(April 1, 2010)

Covers issues of race in the death penalty, such as whether race plays a role in criminal sentencing, analysis of race statistics in the justice system and measures intended to prevent racial factors in sentencing.

(January 14, 2010)

Covers issues of innocence in the death penalty, such as the possibility of innocent people sentenced to death, and whether the judicial process prevents wrongful execution.

(August 31, 2009)

Covers issues of deterrence, including views of police and criminologists about the deterrent effect of executions and statistical analysis of deterrence effects.

(July 9, 2009)

Covers issues of cost in the criminal justice system, such as explaining the cost of a death penaly sentence versus life without parole, and the factors that influence the cost of execution.

(June 22, 2009)

Covers issues such as how clemency works in the criminal justice system, including who grants clemency, why clemency is granted, and how often it occurs.

(May 13, 2009)