Events FAQ
Be sure to read our entire FAQ before you request an event!
Q: What kinds of events does Lyle do?
A: Lyle has done over 70 public speaking events that include, but are not limited to, high school, undergraduate, and graduate level classes and groups; church groups, book clubs and community gatherings; podcasts, radio shows, news programs, and academic conferences.
Q: What things can Lyle not discuss during interviews and speaking events?
A: Because Lyle is appealing his wrongful conviction and sentence, he cannot discuss his case. His capital appeals are active and he respectfully requests that event coordinators exclude this topic from their questions and discussion. Any serious inquiries about the status of Lyle's appeals, for the purpose of an interview, will be directed to his attorney, Jonathan E. Broun at the North Carolina Prisoner Legal Services.
Q: How are speaking events conducted?
A: All events are conducted over a prison phone in 15 minute increments. Any technology used to amplify or disseminate these talks is the purview of event coordinators. Several methods work.
Q: How are interviews conducted?
A: Interviews, like events, are conducted over the phone in 15 minute increments. In person interviews require permission from the facility head, NCDPS communications office, and coordination with Lyle's attorney.
Q: Does Lyle accept gifts?
A: Gifts are much appreciated.
Q: What topics does Lyle focus on?
A: Topics for events include, but are not limited to:
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capital punishment
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life imprisonment
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sentencing structures and commissions
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capital post conviction appeals
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capital trials
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executions
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solitary confinement
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life on death row
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criminological concepts that explain crime and punishment from an experiential perspective rather than a wholly academic one (also called "convict" or "new school of" criminology)
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organizing abolitionists
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countering tough on crime misinformation
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the juvenile justice system
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criminal legal reform
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penal philosophy
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substance abuse and mental health in jail, prison, and youth confinement
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higher education in prison
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the politics of crime and punishment
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penal and sentencing reform as net widening mechanisms of mass incarceration
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capital sentencing abolition and prison abolition as a functional concept in society
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parole