Tweeting Executions? Not Such a Bad Idea

Ohio's prison system recently announced that it's considering using Twitter to spread news about executions. At first glance, this may sound like the worst idea you've ever heard — it smacks of exploiting the death penalty for media gain. Those were my first thoughts, too. And then I reconsidered.

Twitter is not a broadcast medium — it's a conversation platform and a tool for engagement and interaction. Tweeting executions and televising them are very different things. If we rule out tweeting executions as inappropriate, we could be denying ourselves a chance to speak directly to officials that run a system like Ohio's, which spans 31 prisons.

The Ohio Department of Corrections already sends out a press release minutes after an execution — as it did last week when Darryl Durr was executed with a single-drug injection. If the DOC wants to set up a Twitter account to simply forward links to press releases, no one will follow — Twitter isn't an RSS feed and automated Twitter feeds are boring. But if it actually wants to engage, that's a powerful thing.

In fact, Twitter could be a powerful force that benefits not only the DOC, but criminal justice reformers. The DOC could humanize itself, giving us a glimpse into the workings of a complex state agency that does sometimes (I assume) get things right. It would increase transparency and give the public a view of its tax dollars at work. A DOC Twitter account would also be a boon to activists who could speak up in support of parole applications or against executions and deteriorating prison conditions. We could start act.ly petitions targeting wardens and prison officials.

I oppose the death penalty in all forms, and I don't think there's such a thing as a humane lethal injection. Even so, I've been particularly repulsed by Ohio's recent track record — the state's badly botched execution of Rommell Broom last year marks one of the lowest points the U.S. criminal justice system has lately seen. I would have liked to tell the Ohio DOC (on Twitter) how disgusted I felt that day.

DOC Communications Director Julie Walburn told the AP that the DOC hasn't decided how to use Twitter and other social media platforms to disseminate news. I'm sending Ms. Walburn a link to this post to encourage her to launch a Twitter account (hopefully it doesn't scare her off). Social media increases transparency, which is healthy (and challenging) for any organization and is particularly important in public agencies. For the DOC to have an active, engaged Twitter account is an admirable goal, even — and especially — if it means tweeting news that challenges us all to think harder.

Photo Credit: Mashup of Old Sparky