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The Death Penalty: An American History |
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You Are Here: Home > History Books > Kansas History > Item 54
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The Death Penalty: An American History
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by Stuart Banner
Sales Rank: 96241

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List Price: $19.50
$17.55
At Amazon on 9-14-2008.

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Features
Cover Type: Paperback with 408 pages
Published by: Harvard University Press March 31, 2003
Written in: English
ISBN 10 Number: 0674010833
ISBN 13 Number: 978-0674010833
Book Dimensions:
9.1 x 6 x 1 inches
Weighs: 1 pounds
Reader Reviews
This review is from: The Death Penalty: An American History (Hardcover)
Most books that are written about the death penalty tend to be partisan either filled with impassioned criticisms or passionate defences. This book is unusual as it is measured and objective. It is not a long book but it looks at a surprisingly large number of issues not only about the penalty itself but the ritual around it, the means used and a detailed explanation of the constitutional argument that led to its abolition and its resurrection... In describing the way the death penalty is administered the one interesting point made by the author is the discrepancy in its implementation. Almost all of the death penalty cases occur in the Southern States. There appear to be a number of reasons for this one being the fact that these states have the highest rates of murder, the only crime which realistically now attracts the penalty. The author however makes the point that another key factor in the geographic distribution of the death penalty is the way that defendants are represented. In the North the state funds public defenders officers which provide a high standard of legal representation. This means that during the penalty phase of the trial care is undertaken to call evidence that will lead to imprisonment rather than execution. In the South the system of providing legal assistance is for the state to pay private lawyers to undertake death penalty cases. The fees are stingey and as a result defence lawyers are often have no experience or skill in running such cases. Mitigatory evidence is seldom called and the usual methods of arguing for a lesser penalty are not used. Capital cases in the South are littered with tales of incredibly incompetent defence lawyers. The writer appears to be a legal academic and the most interesting part of the book is the explanation of the constitutional arguments over the legality of the penalty. The explanation of the arguments over how it was argued that the penalty was cruel and unusual and the legislative changes which were used to overcome these arguments is excellent and makes a complex area easy to grasp. All in all an interesting book for those who wish to read about the subject.
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The Death Penalty: An American History
Available from Amazon
Price: $17.55
Updated on 9-14-2008.

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