AN EYE FOR AN EYE?

Nick Yarris spent 22 years on death row. At one point, he even escaped. But then, right before he was slated to be executed, DNA evidence proved he was innocent. Is the death penalty justified? Can a just society execute people? Are you more likely to be executed if you kill a white person?

It’s December 20th, 1981. Nick Yarris, a car thief and drug addict in Philadelphia, has just boosted two cars and he’s out for a joyride to celebrate. His adrenaline is raging. He’s high. And the radio is on full blast.

That story ends badly, with Nick on death row, for a crime he didn’t commit. In this episode, we look at Nick’s story, of an innocent man on death row. And we speak to Emily Bazelon, Gregory Joseph, Nick Yarris, and Jeffrey Howard in order to try to answer the question: do murderers deserve to die?