On April 12, 1999, the Harvard Journal on Legislation held a public symposi
um on recent legislative efforts to reinstate the death penalty in the Comm
onwealth of Massachusetts. The participants included state leg islators, pr
actitioners, and activists on both sides of the capital punishment debate,
The following transcript of the symposium has been annotated by the Journal
to provide additional background information. The speakers' remarks have a
lso been edited for length.*.