Between 1982 and 1999, Jerry Givens executed more than 60 death row inmates for the state of Virginia. He also knows what it is like to be an inmate himself. Now, Givens is publicly against the death penalty and is urging Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson to reconsider a plan to execute seven inmates in 10 days for the sake of the people who will be carrying out the executions.
Former Virginia Executioner Weighs in on Arkansas' Execution Plan
photo courtesy: Virginians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty
![New York Law School professor Robert Blecker is a retributivist, someone who believes civil punishment, even capital punishment, serves the course of justice. "Very simply, [convicted criminals] deserve it."](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/bc18a33/2147483647/strip/true/resize/560x312!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.arkansaspublicmedia.org%2Fsites%2Fkuar2%2Ffiles%2F201704%2Fmedicaid_waivers__1_.png)