Dorothy van Soest will lead A Conversation About the Death Penalty on Friday, March 11 at 2 PM, at the Steilacoom Library, as part of the Speakers Series co-sponsored by Friends of Steilacoom Library and Steilacoom Historical Museum Assn.
On Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court reversed the 2002 murder conviction of a Louisiana death row inmate after ruling that prosecutors failed to disclose evidence that could have helped his defense. In Alabama, a judge has ruled that Alabama’s capital murder sentencing scheme, which allows judges to override jury recommendations of life without parole and instead impose the death penalty, is unconstitutional.
Why is the issue of capital punishment so divisive? Capital punishment, more than any other public issue, has given rise to considerable differences of opinion in U.S. society. When Washington Governor Jay Inslee announced a moratorium on executions in February 2014, it heightened the national debate about capital punishment. Author and educator Dorothy Van Soest facilitates an interactive group dialogue about the death penalty. She demonstrates how the death penalty issue is multi-faceted by weaving together personal connections, scientific research, life experience and creative storytelling. She also shares stories of ordinary people facing extraordinary situations and how they have found the courage to transform themselves and the world around them.
The presentation is made possible with assistance from Humanities Washington.