Irreversible: The Legal, Moral, and Human Costs of the Death Penalty

What does justice look like when we execute someone, knowing the system is fallible?

In this episode, Montana Innocence Project Executive Director Amy Sings In The Timber and Legal Director Brady Minow Smith discuss the death penalty — its moral, legal, and human implications through the lens of innocence and manifest injustice work.

They explore how personal experience shapes perspective, why innocence cases reveal the irreversible dangers of capital punishment, and what redemption means in a justice system built on retribution.

The conversation also touches on the case of Robert Roberson, an Innocence Project client who, at the time of recording, was scheduled for execution in Texas based on discredited science. Amy and Brady unpack what happens when new evidence and evolving science are ignored and what that says about our justice system.

We are elated to share that since this recording, Robert has been granted a stay of execution, opening the door for a step toward justice.

Join us for a discussion marking World Day Against the Death Penalty. We encourage you to listen, reflect, and share this episode with someone who may be interested in learning more perspectives on this critical issue.

Recommended Resources:

Witness to Innocence

Conservatives Concerned

Death Penalty Action

Recommended Reads:

His Execution Is Days Away. A Detective Says He’s Innocent.

The Last Appeal Podcast by Lester Holt

Texas court blocks execution of death row inmate Robert Roberson