Arbitrary Convictions: Capital Punishment in the United States

As of October 2004, 117 wrongfully convicted

persons from twenty-five states have been

released from America's death rows, and the number

continues to grow. How do such serious mistakes

occur in what some call "the best court system in the

world"? And how can fifty states, each bound by the

same Constitution and Supreme Court guidelines,

implement the death penalty so differently? Should

justice in a democratic society be an arbitrary matter?

You are invited to join this conversation about one of

the most important civil rights issues of our day. Presenters: Sister Helen Prejean, Lawrence Marshall, and William Abrams