Capital Punishment, Racism, and the Lives in Between

The Prison Engagement Initiative's Graduate Cohort is excited to invite you to a meaningful evening focused on one of our state's ugliest practices: the death penalty. 137 individuals currently sit on NC's death row, awaiting state-sponsored execution. Ed Chapman used to be one of those individuals until he was exonerated in 2008. Ed will be sharing with us about his journey, from dealing with the trauma that accompanies life in a death chamber to the struggles and successes he has had since his release. We will also be hearing accounts from others on death row via Lynden Harris, author of "Right Here, Right Now." The racial history of the death penalty in NC will be told through a short documentary film, Racist Roots, created by NC's Center for Death Penalty Litigation. Finally, we will have a panel discussion, featuring local professionals who have all intersected the horror of NC's death row from different angles, including: a defense attorney, psychologist, prison chaplain, and restorative justice practitioner. This event is being co-sponsored by the Wilson Center for Science and Justice, Duke Law's Criminal Defense Clinic, and Duke Divinity's Prison Justice Action Committee.