Half the Answer #18: Execution in America
Trent and Caitlin talk to their old friend Clay Jackson, a former litigator and current licensed attorney in Texas. They discuss his plans to embrace a life in his new home on the range, recent developments in immigration rights, and the death penalty in the US. They discuss the history and justifications for the practice, highlight the stories of some Texas men who are wrongfully convicted, and ask listeners to advocate for the people currently sentenced to death.
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Resources:
Support the Innocence Project: https://innocenceproject.org
Upcoming executions: https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/executions/upcoming-executions
Police abuses in LA: https://bbc.com/news/articles/cj93d3r0zz0o
Inhumane conditions in ICE facility: https://cbsnews.com/news/immigrants-at-ice-check-ins-detained-and-held-in-basement-of-federal-building-in-los-angeles/
Legislators denied entry to ICE facility: https://nytimes.com/2025/06/08/nyregion/ice-detention-federal-plaza-nyc.html
Stephen Milller & Kristi Noem pushing for more abuses: https://newrepublic.com/post/195787/stephen-miller-screams-ice-not-arresting-enough-people
Portland, OR: https://opb.org/article/2025/06/06/asylum-arrest-portland-yzlh/
JD Vance threatens Menswear Guy: https://axios.com/2025/06/09/vance-post-suggests-deporting-the-menswear-guy
Sources for the history of execution:
https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/article/history-of-the-death-penalty/#fn6
https://archive.org/web/20131129221302/http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/etcbin/jamestown-browse?id=J1023
https://encyclopediavirginia.org/entries/lawes-divine-morall-and-martiall/
https://encyclopediavirginia.org/entries/yeardley-sir-george-bap-1588-1627/
Wilkerson v. Utah: https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/99/130/
Furman v. Georgia: https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/408/238/
Gregg v. Georgia: https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/428/153/
https://www.forbes.com/advisor/legal/criminal-defense/second-degree-murder/
Public opinion on death penalty: https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/research/analysis/reports/year-end-reports/the-death-penalty-in-2024/public-opinion
“Eye for an eye” dominates reasons for support https://news.gallup.com/poll/1606/Death-Penalty.aspx
No evidence for deterrent effect: https://scientificamerican.com/article/evidence-does-not-support-the-use-of-the-death-penalty/
Financial costs: https://cato.org/blog/financial-implications-death-penalty
Bryan Stevenson’s Book: https://justmercy.eji.org/
Our hero Gretchen Sween: https://gsweenlaw.com/uploads/1/3/1/1/131145032/light_got_in.pdf
Robert Roberson: https://themarshallproject.org/2023/09/15/texas-shaken-baby-syndrome-baby-death-robert-roberson
Charles Flores: https://freecharlesflores.com/
Pablo Torres Finds Out: https://youtu.be/JUm2YgmBG1o?si=z4FCTmrrblxpAwIZ
