The XX Factor : death penalty

David Grann's Chilling Story of a Wrongful Execution

Emily Bazelon — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 15:34:00 GMT

In a blockbuster New Yorker piece this week , David Grann persuasively demonstrates that in 2004, Texas executed an innocent man, Cameron Todd Willingham. It is chilling reading. Whatever you think about the death penalty, you can't want it to misfire....(read more)

Be the Man, Benedict

Melinda Henneberger — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 16:37:00 GMT

On today's episode of Hey, a Girl Can Dream , my man Benedict decides that as long as he's in the neighborhood, he should stroll on over to the Supreme Court and spend a couple of minutes protesting the death penalty, by lethal injection or otherwise....(read more)

Deterrence Unplugged

Dahlia Lithwick — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 19:44:00 GMT

Melinda, I think your instinct about the deterrent effect of the death penalty is about the same as mine. The Liptak article is incredibly interesting but makes the same point I learned in law school: Deterrence works if there is a reasonable chance the...(read more)