FIRING LINE DEBATE, A: RESOLVED: THE DEATH PENALTY IS A GOOD THING (TV)
Summary
One in this talk/interview series hosted by William F. Buckley, Jr. This program takes the form of a panel discussion on the following resolution proposed by Buckley: "The death penalty is a good thing." The panelists who support the resolution are William Buckley; former New York City Mayor Ed Koch; Assistant District Attorney of Georgia Susan Boleyn; and Georgetown University law professor Walter Berns. Those who are against the resolution are American Civil Liberties Union executive director Ira Glasser; Bard College president Leon Botstein; director of the Southern Center for Human Rights Stephen Bright; and executive director of the Alabama Capital Representation Resource Center Bryan Stevenson. The moderator, Michael Kinsley, begins by giving an introduction. Buckley officially proposes the resolution, quoting Samuel Johnson as saying that a society that embraces capital punishment is "civilized enough to attach the highest importance to human life." He also cites the following statistic: In the United States, one in every 1,400 murders results in the execution of the murderer. In presenting a counterargument to the resolution, Glasser states that the death penalty is not a "suitable and justifiable alternative to life in prison," and notes that only two per cent of convicted murderers receive a death sentence, and that in almost all cases, the sentence hinges upon the "race of the victim and the class of the perpetrator." Each panelist then gives an opening statement, which is followed by rebuttal questions from the opposition. Koch uses his opening statement to rebut Glasser's concern that racism plays a significant role in the use of capital punishment, while Botstein argues that taking anyone's life is unconstitutional and "ultimately and principally wrong." Boleyn feels that the death penalty is required to maintain "accountability for vicious crimes." And Bright maintains that the death penalty is unfair because it is often imposed on those individuals who cannot afford quality legal representation. Buckley and Glasser take turns defending their initial positions by answering questions from the opposing panels. Then Berns states his belief that retribution is a legitimate reason to implement capital punishment, citing Simon Wiesenthal's diligence in hunting down Nazi war criminals, "not for rehabilitation, not as a deterrent, but as a way to pay them back." Stevenson argues that we live in a society in which racial and economic biases exist; therefore, we cannot ignore those factors when determing whether capital punishment is inherently unfair or not. Next, Buckley and Glasser debate the effectiveness of capital punishment as a deterrent to crime; Koch and Botstein stand before their respective opposing panels, responding to questions regarding their opening remarks; Boleyn and Bright go head-to-head regarding the fee of quality representation in capital cases, and the issue of racism in the courtroom; Berns and Stevenson discuss the feasibility of life imprisonment without parole as an alternative to capital punishment; and Glasser and Buckley present their closing arguments.
(Network affiliation varies; this program was also syndicated from 1966 to 1971 and from 1975 to 1977.)
Cataloging of this program was made possible by Mr. and Mrs. Theodore R. Stanley.
Details
- NETWORK: PBS
- DATE: May 25, 1994
- RUNNING TIME: 1:56:49
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: T:60789
- GENRE: Talk/Interviews
- SUBJECT HEADING: Capital punishment; Criminal justice, administration of; Racism
- SERIES RUN: PBS - TV series, 1971-1999
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Warren Steibel … Producer, Director
- Muriel Oxenberg Murphy … Associate Producer
- George Kahookele … Associate Producer, Direction (Misc.), Assistant Director
- Dorothy McCartney … Researcher
- John Virtes … Researcher
- Russell Jenkins … Researcher
- Frederick W. Campano … Researcher
- William F. Buckley, Jr. … Host, Panelist
- Michael Kinsley … Moderator
- Ed Koch … Panelist
- Susan Boleyn … Panelist
- Walter Berns … Panelist
- Ira Glasser … Panelist
- Leon Botstein … Panelist
- Stephen Bright … Panelist
- Bryan Stevenson … Panelist
- Samuel Johnson
- Simon Wiesenthal