1. The Death Penalty in Popular Culture Kenneth Mentor J.D., Ph.D. Criminal Justice Department New Mexico State University

2. Previous Research: Austin Sarat Austin Sarat Movies as replacement for public executions Movies as replacement for public executions

3. Key Themes Clean - Mechanical Clean - Mechanical Error Free - Efficient Error Free - Efficient Murder is Dirty in Comparison Murder is Dirty in Comparison Observers Observers

4. In Film, Death Penalty is Clean

5. Mechanical

6. Antiseptic Scene from “Dead Man Walking”

7. Orderly

8. Respectful

9. Caring guide

10. Morality play - Good vs. evil

11. Puts viewer in juror role

12. ERROR FREE

13. Hollywood vs. reality

14. Goes wrong only through evil

16. Media seldom discussed error or shows real images

17. too distasteful

18. Murder is Dirty Death penalty is respectful and clean, especially when compared to heinous acts of the condemned Death penalty is respectful and clean, especially when compared to heinous acts of the condemned

19. Clean murderers are especially crazy Hannibal Hannibal American Psycho American Psycho Ted Bundy Ted Bundy

20. OBSERVERS

21. Movie depiction of viewers

22. Film viewers - voyeur

23. Televised executions

24. Little real understanding of process

25. Move to lethal injection - orderly and clean, just like the movies