Brooke Adams of the Salt Lake City Tribune writes:
There are approximately 57 countries that use capital punishment for the most heinous crimes, but only one is a western industrialized nation: The United States.
Capital punishment in the U.S. in the context of state, national and international policies will be the focus of the eighth annual symposium on the death penalty sponsored by Utah Valley University on Thursday. The event will feature such experts as James Acker, a criminal justice professor at State University of New York, Albany, and co-director of the Capital Punishment Research Initiative; Ted Wachtel, founder of the International Institute for Restorative Practices; and Alan Clarke, a UVU professor.
The all-day event takes place October 25 at the UVU Library auditorium and is free and open to the public.
UVU also announced:
This year’s symposium will also include UVU student presentations on Utahns’ attitudes toward capital punishment, a timely topic as the state legislature re-examines capital punishment’s financial expense and public support. There will also be a panel discussion and Q&A session providing an opportunity to publicly discuss the ethical implications of capital punishment.
“In the aftermath of crime, many people think of justice as punishment,” said Michael Minch, director of UVU’s Peace & Justice Studies program. “But what if justice was concerned with restoring relationships and setting things right in a way that helped people heal from the wounds of crime?”
For more information and a full symposium schedule, please visit: www.uvu.edu/is/symposium.
