Symposium on Restorative Justice and the Death Penalty

SCHEDULE

Nov. 3rd

LI 120
Library Lecture Hall

10:00-11:15 a.m.
David Livingstone Smith Associate Professor of Philosophy, University of New England.
Presentation: “Less Than Human: The Moral Psychology of Killing”

11:30-12:45 p.m.
David Dow Distinguished Professor of Law at Houston Law Center.
Presentation: “The Arbitrary Nature of the Death Penalty”

1-2:15 p.m.
Eric Schulzke and Ben Anderson

Presentation:  “The Apollo 13 Project: Reduce Crime, Save Tax Dollars, and Improve Life Chances Through Better Dialogue, Data and Public Outreach ”

2:30-3:45 p.m.
Michael Minch
Director of Peace and Justice Studies, at Utah Valley University.
Presentation: “Justice as Restoration”

4:00-5:00 p.m.
Panel Discussion, with speakers and faculty: “Humanity and Justice: The Possibility"

Press Release  

Is it possible for humanity and justice to coexist within the U.S. criminal justice system? This question’s application to the capital punishment debate is the primary investigation of the seventh annual Symposium on Restorative Justice and the Death Penalty. Co-hosted by UVU Integrated Studies and Peace and Justice Studies, the conference will be held on Nov. 3, 2011 in the UVU Library auditorium, room LI 120. Designed to publicly deliberate the ethical implications of capital punishment, the annual Symposium on Restorative Justice and the Death Penalty examines current punitive justice methods and highlights an alternative approach known as restorative justice. Restorative justice is an expanding global movement intended to balance the needs of both offenders and victims by reconciling relationships.

This year's program will begin at 10:00 am with a presentation by David Livingstone Smith, a University of New England philosophy professor whose research into the biological roots of dehumanization recently culminated in the acclaimed book, Less Than Human: Why We Demean, Enslave, and Exterminate Others. Smith says that his presentation “will argue that dehumanization is a psychological process that allows us to override deep inhibitions against committing acts of violence to others, and explain the psychological processes that underpin it.” Smith will also explain why it is so important for people to be aware of the dehumanization process.

Following Dr. Smith will be David Dow, Distinguished Professor at the University of Houston Law Center and founder of the Texas Innocence Network, who will speak about the “Arbitrary Nature of the Death Penalty.”     

Other speakers will include Eric Schulzke and Ben Anderson, who will present information about the non-profit organization “The Apollo 13 Project,” which is devoted to helping reduce criminal incarceration and recidivism rates by encouraging better dialogue, data and public outreach in regard to offender reintegration.

Michael Minch, Director of Peace and Justice Studies at UVU, will then speak about restorative Justice. “Most cultures think of justice not in punitive terms, but in restorative terms,” Minch says, “I will give a brief account of this claim, and then, in conclusion, argue for a more historically and globally grounded conception of justice as restoration, one that better respects human dignity and connects us to most of the rest of the world”