A Life for a Life
The American Debate Over the Death Penalty
Michael Dow
Burkhead
ISBN
978-0-7864-3368-1
charts, appendices, notes, bibliography, index
215pp.
softcover
2009
Temporarily out of stock while McFarland awaits the reprint - accepting backorders
Description
Providing a new look at the intense public debate surrounding the death penalty in the United States, this book explores the various trends in public opinion that influence crime prevention efforts, create public policy, and reform criminal law. It examines eight core issues about the use of execution: cruel and unusual punishment, discrimination, deterrence, due process, culpability, scripture, innocence, and justice. It provides a brief history of capital punishment in the United States from the earliest known execution at the Jamestown Colony in 1608 to executions occurring as recently as 2008. Additional topics include the regionalization of capital punishment sentences, the spiritual and scriptural debate over the death penalty, the role of DNA evidence in modern execution sentences, and the ongoing effects of Furman v. Georgia, McClesky v. Kemp, Baze v. Rees, and other related court rulings.
About the Author
Psychologist Michael Dow Burkhead has worked in varying capacities with criminal offenders for 25 years and has written a number of articles regarding the treatment of mentally ill prisoners and the death penalty. He lives in Asheville, North Carolina.
Reviews
"Recommended"--Choice
"I recommend [this book] to anyone who is interested in learning about the formation of death penalty governance in our country, the social-political forces that have shaped past and present debates, and the manner by which empirical evidence is used to sway one’s argument"--Metapsychology
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Table of Contents & Excerpts
Related Books
Social Sciences/Criminal Justice
Interdisciplinary Studies/Death
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