Episode Spotlight: Rick Unklesbay — Inside Arizona’s Death Penalty and the Pursuit of Justice
In this compelling episode of the Working for Justice Podcast, hosts Molly Edwards and Tony Vidale sit down with Rick Unklesbay, a longtime Pima County prosecutor, University of Arizona law professor, and author of Arbitrary Death: A Prosecutor’s Perspective on the Death Penalty in America.
Drawing on nearly 40 years in Arizona’s criminal justice system, Unklesbay shares a rare insider’s view of capital punishment, reflecting on Supreme Court cases, political influences, and the moral and constitutional challenges surrounding the death penalty. He discusses his decades of courtroom experience—over 100 murder trials resulting in 16 death sentences—and what ultimately led him to question whether the system can ever apply death fairly or without bias.
Listeners will hear thoughtful reflections on justice, accountability, and reform in Arizona’s legal landscape, as well as how Unklesbay’s global upbringing and time at the University of Arizona Law School shaped his passion for fair prosecution and criminal justice integrity.
Keywords: Arizona Criminal Justice Commission, Rick Unklesbay, Arizona death penalty, capital punishment, Pima County Attorney’s Office, criminal justice reform, Tony Vidale, Molly Edwards, Working for Justice Podcast, Arizona Law, Arbitrary Death, public safety, Supreme Court cases.