Can Pennsylvania Afford the Death Penalty? Activists, Officials to Discuss Cost and Impact of Capital Punishment

Philadelphia, PA, March 5, 2009

What: Drexel University’s Earle Mack School of Law and College of Arts and Sciences will host a panel discussion featuring some of the region’s leading voices on capital punishment. As neighboring states have avoided executing prisoners or eliminated the death penalty altogether, Pennsylvania maintains the fourth-largest death row in the nation. The panel will offer a diverse range of opinions from legislators, law enforcement, academics and attorneys. Panelists will examine why Pennsylvania has a death penalty and its effectiveness in preventing crime. Who: • Bruce L. Castor, Jr., District Attorney, Montgomery County (2000-2008) • Professor Jules Epstein, Widener University School of Law • Senator Stewart J. Greenleaf, Chair, State Senate Judiciary Committee • Ellen Greenlee, Esq., Chief Defender, Defenders Association of Philadelphia • The Honorable Renee Cardwell Hughes, Judge, Court of Common Pleas • Ed Martone, Director of Public Education and Policy, New Jersey Association on Correction • Lisette M. McCormick, Esq., Executive Director, Interbranch Commission for Gender, Racial and Ethnic Fairness When: Friday, March 6, 2009, 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. Where: Earle Mack School of Law, Room 140, 3320 Market Street ### News Media Contact: Noah Cohen, News Media Bureau Associate 215-895-2705, 267-228-5599 (cell) or noah.cohen@drexel.edu