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Gangster

Killing Death Row: 6. Living and dying

Gangster

BBC

True Crime, Documentary, Society & Culture

4.81.4K Ratings

🗓️ 27 October 2023

⏱️ 32 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

An execution and the story of an exoneration. Livvy Haydock hears about the final moments of one life, and the relief and joy of release when a different case is overturned. In this final episode she considers the impact of a changing political landscape on the future of the death chamber. Join Livvy as she takes us deep into Death Row in the USA. While support for the Death Penalty in the US remains at over 50 per cent, there’s been a steady decline in the number of executions – from the modern era peak of 98 in 1999 to just 20 in 2023 so far. Only a handful of states actually carry out the killings. It’s even become more difficult for executioners to get hold of the drugs used in lethal injections, which is what led Livvy Haydock to a surreal story about a man in Acton, West London, who was supplying these lethal drugs to state penitentiaries in the US, and on to the macabre world of Death Row – and the people who live, work, and die on it. Whether it’s the bizarre hunt for new lethal injection supplies, or the tip of the glasses that mark an executioner’s signal, Livvy goes right behind the scenes into the chamber itself to examine the pressures on the system that have left just 5 US states actively carrying out executions this year and around 2,400 Death Row prisoners in limbo. We’ll hear from an inmate waiting to die, and one saved at the last moment. We’ll chat to the wardens who make it happen, and the campaigners who want to stop it. And throughout it all, we’ll discover the possible future for Death Row in the only western democracy still carrying out capital punishment. New episodes released weekly. If you’re in the UK, listen to Gangster Presents… Killing Death Row first on BBC Sounds: bbc.in/40W5Chz Presenter: Livvy Haydock Series producer: Anna Meisel Sounds design and mix: Richard Hannaford Editor: Clare Fordham Production coordinator: Janet Staples

Transcript

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0:00.0

Before you listen to this BBC podcast I'd like to introduce myself. My name's

0:04.0

Stevie Middleton and I'm a BBC Commissioner for a load of sport

0:07.5

podcasts. I'm lucky to do that at the BBC because I get to work with leading

0:11.1

journalists, experienced pundits and the biggest

0:13.3

sports stars. Together we bring you untold stories and fascinating insights

0:17.4

straight from the player's mouth. But the best thing about doing this at the BBC is

0:22.0

our unique access to the sporting world.

0:25.0

What that means is that we can bring you podcasts that create a real connection to

0:28.9

dedicated sports fans across the UK.

0:31.5

So if you like this podcast, head over to BBC Sounds where you'll find plenty more.

0:35.2

BBC Sounds, Music Radio Podcasts.

0:40.3

Before we start, a warning that this episode contains strong language

0:47.0

good afternoon I'm Kayla McLaughlin the Communication Director with the Department of

0:52.0

Corrections there's about to be an exigant the Communications Director with the Department of Corrections.

0:54.0

There's about to be an execution.

0:56.1

A crowd of press is gathering on what looks like a large village green with neatly cut grass

1:01.9

and electons set up on one side.

1:05.0

It's a lovely sunny scene.

1:06.8

You could bring a picnic.

1:08.6

Until you remember, a death chamber is across the road from the field, and a man is waiting to die in a

1:14.6

holding cell right next to it. Foreign media aren't ever allowed into the

1:21.4

room to witness a United States legal homicide.

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