Normally in criminal law, intent matters. …Then came the felony murder law.

Normally in criminal law, intent matters. The intent of a person is one of the most critical features in determining how we will punish someone for a crime they committed. Then came the felony murder law. As a result of this law, people committing a felony that resulted in the death of another, no matter how remote that death may have been, were treated the same as someone who acted with the intent to kill someone. How this happened, the impacts of this harsh law, and what we can do about it are all topics in today’s episode with Nazgol Ghandnoosh, Co-Director of Research at the Sentencing Project.