Host, Rebecca Lindstrom

The death penalty--an issue that sparks some of the most ferocious debates, even among people in close relationships. Currently North Carolina is one of 38 states in the United States that uses the death penalty to punish convicted first-degree murderers. Since 1910, approximately 385 convicted NC felons have faced execution; 201 more sit on death row as of June 2003.

Before 1961, courts and judges had unbridled discretion over who received the death penalty and who did not. First-degree murder, rape and burglary often were considered capital crimes, and many perpetrators received death sentences. After several people began questioning the fairness of who was chosen for execution, mentioning factors of race and economic status, North Carolina halted executions until 1977. 

A new concern over who receives the death penalty recently spawned two bills: Senate Bill 972 and House Bill 1199. Both call for a two-year halt to executions while a study is conducted of the procedures, checks and balances that follow a first-degree murder suspect from the beginning to the end of his sentencing. Do the courts treat everyone equally, or are preferences given to some but not all?

To address the various issues surrounding the two General Assembly bills, Legislative Week in Review co-host Rebecca Lindstrom joins state lawmakers, attorneys and others on the frontlines of the death penalty moratorium debate in Focus On...Legal Executions. This one-hour live show will examine not only the pros and cons of the moratorium issue, but it will also take an in-depth look at the issues behind the debate, including those influencing the Senate and House moratorium legislation.

Lindstrom leads a lively discussion among panelists including Senator Ellie Kinnaird (D-Orange); Steven Dear, representing People of Faith Against the Death Penalty; Johnson Britt, president of the District Attorney's Association, Donna Pygot of the N.C. Victim Assistance Network and Representative Hugh Holliman (D-Davidson). Panelists also answer questions asked by a studio audience.

Issues discussed include the reasoning behind the moratorium and study, influencing factors over who is assigned a death sentence, victims' rights, errors in the judicial process and ethical questions surrounding the death penalty itself.

If the North Carolina House of Representatives concurs with the Senate's decision, North Carolina will be the third state in the nation to order such a halt. Two other states, Illinois and Maryland, stopped executions in order to study the legal process involved with death penalty cases. Maryland governor Robert Ehrlich reinstated the death penalty when he assumed office in January.

Proponents of the death penalty moratorium argue that the study will further minimize errors that result in overturned sentences. Opponents assert that the two-year halt on executions is only the first step to eliminating the death penalty altogether. Focus On...Legal Executions delves into the many sides of this complex issue.