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TuesdayJuly 2, 2024

Writing about the death penalty

Oscar Smith’s cedar coffin was left unused after his execution was postponed due to lethal injection protocol concerns in May 2022.
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The state of Tennessee has not executed a prisoner since 2020, in part, because of procedural complexities around COVID. Then, after the release of an unfavorable report by an independent investigation into its lethal injection protocols, a moratorium was announced in May 2022.

Meanwhile, time marches on — as do cases, appeals and new bills. Today, we’re welcoming journalists and authors Liliana Segura, Steven Hale and Joe Ingle to talk about their latest work writing about this punishment.

Today’s guests:

Liliana Segura | Investigative journalist covering the U.S. criminal justice system, The Intercept
Steven Hale | Author, “Death Row Welcomes You”; journalist at Nashville Banner
Joe Ingle | Death row chaplain; author Too Close to the Flame

Further in:

  • The books our guests have written include “Death Row Welcomes You: Visiting Hours in the Shadow of the Execution Chamber” by Steven Hale, “Cruel and Usual: The History of Lethal Injection” by Liliana Segura, and “Too Close to the Flame: With the Condemned inside the Southern Killing Machine” by Joe Ingle.
  • To learn more about new legislation that allows the death penalty for child rape convictions in Tennessee, you can read this WPLN News story.
  • Executions were put on hold in Tennessee in 2022 after the release of a third party review. You can read about the report findings here.

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