When someone is sentenced to die, it’s not always what you might think. The average time that an inmate in the States waits on death row is 10 years, with many serving up to 30 years before execution, living in solitary confinement for sometimes 23 hours a day. So why is the wait so long? And do the prisoners' crimes warrant such harsh prison stays? James Acker, a lawyer and co-editor of the book “ Living on Death Row: The Psychology of Waiting to Die”, joins the podcast.