1 in 8 people on death row is innocent! with Bryan Stevenson | ReThinking

Bryan Stevenson is a public interest lawyer, the founder and director of the Equal Justice Initiative, and the author of Just Mercy. Bryan and his staff have rescued over 140 wrongfully condemned prisoners from death row. In this episode, Adam asks about the histories of injustice that drove Bryan to his work as a lawyer, the sources of hope when systems are broken, and three key flaws that allow 1 in 8 executions to be carried out against an innocent person. Bryan also shares wisdom on how to craft a persuasive argument and deliver a great speech. Join us in person at a TED conference: https://tedtalks.social/events Become a TED Member to support our mission: https://ted.com/membership Subscribe to a TED newsletter: https://ted.com/newsletters Follow our podcasts! Podcasts: https://www.ted.com/podcasts Fixable: https://www.ted.com/podcasts/fixable How to Be a Better Human: https://www.ted.com/podcasts/how-to-be-a-better-human ReThinking with Adam Grant: https://www.ted.com/podcasts/rethinking-with-adam-grant TED Talks Daily: https://www.ted.com/podcasts/ted-talks-daily TED Business: https://www.ted.com/podcasts/ted_business TED Health: https://www.ted.com/podcasts/ted-health TED Tech: https://www.ted.com/podcasts/ted-tech The TED Audio Collective is a collection of podcasts for the curious. The TED Audio Collective videos may be used for non-commercial purposes under a Creative Commons License, Attribution–Non Commercial–No Derivatives (or the CC BY – NC – ND 4.0 International) and in accordance with our TED Talks Usage Policy (https://www.ted.com/about/our-organiz...). For more information on using TED for commercial purposes (e.g. employee learning, in a film or online course), please submit a Media Request at https://media-requests.ted.com.

Bryan StevensonguestAdam Granthost

May 21, 202644mWatch on YouTube ↗

EPISODE INFO

Released: May 21, 2026
Duration: 44m
Channel: Re:Thinking with Adam Grant
Watch on YouTube: ▶ Open ↗

EPISODE DESCRIPTION

Bryan Stevenson is a public interest lawyer, the founder and director of the Equal Justice Initiative, and the author of Just Mercy. Bryan and his staff have rescued over 140 wrongfully condemned prisoners from death row. In this episode, Adam asks about the histories of injustice that drove Bryan to his work as a lawyer, the sources of hope when systems are broken, and three key flaws that allow 1 in 8 executions to be carried out against an innocent person. Bryan also shares wisdom on how to craft a persuasive argument and deliver a great speech. Join us in person at a TED conference: https://tedtalks.social/events Become a TED Member to support our mission: https://ted.com/membership Subscribe to a TED newsletter: https://ted.com/newsletters Follow our podcasts! Podcasts: https://www.ted.com/podcasts Fixable: https://www.ted.com/podcasts/fixable How to Be a Better Human: https://www.ted.com/podcasts/how-to-be-a-better-human ReThinking with Adam Grant: https://www.ted.com/podcasts/rethinking-with-adam-grant TED Talks Daily: https://www.ted.com/podcasts/ted-talks-daily TED Business: https://www.ted.com/podcasts/ted_business TED Health: https://www.ted.com/podcasts/ted-health TED Tech: https://www.ted.com/podcasts/ted-tech The TED Audio Collective is a collection of podcasts for the curious. The TED Audio Collective videos may be used for non-commercial purposes under a Creative Commons License, Attribution–Non Commercial–No Derivatives (or the CC BY – NC – ND 4.0 International) and in accordance with our TED Talks Usage Policy (https://www.ted.com/about/our-organiz...). For more information on using TED for commercial purposes (e.g. employee learning, in a film or online course), please submit a Media Request at https://media-requests.ted.com.

SPEAKERS

Bryan Stevenson
guest
Civil rights lawyer and founder/executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative, known for defending people on death row and advancing criminal justice reform.
Adam Grant
host
Organizational psychologist and host of Re:Thinking with Adam Grant.

EPISODE SUMMARY

In this episode of Re:Thinking with Adam Grant, featuring Bryan Stevenson and Adam Grant, 1 in 8 people on death row is innocent! with Bryan Stevenson | ReThinking explores bryan Stevenson on justice, hope, and fixing wrongful death sentences Stevenson traces his commitment to law to childhood experiences of segregation and lawyers who used courts to force equal access to public education.

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