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Recommended Reading on the Death Penalty

This is a list of books covering a broad spectrum of topics - all on the subject of the death penalty. What follows is by no means an exhaustive list of publications available on the subject, but those included are among the most highly acclaimed.

Titles have been loosely grouped by sub-heading, usually in order of date published/most recent edition. This is intended to help identify areas of interest. However, please bear in mind that many of the following titles have been included precisely because of their thorough consideration of the subject, therefore cannot easily be categorised under a single sub-heading. A few publications investigate the practice of capital punishment internationally, however, there is a strong focus on the death penalty as administered in the USA. Each title has been accompanied by a brief synopsis, which I hope will give a helpful outline of the subject matter contained. Information regarding availability has been included where accessible. I have personally found that books on this subject can be difficult to obtain from within the UK. Amazon.com does carry a wealth of titles on the subject. Also, those who have access to academic social science libraries will find that most core texts are available. If while reading you find there are any significant omissions, or titles you have found useful which are not included here, I would welcome any feedback. Thanks for your interest.

	Dead Man Walking: An Eyewitness Account of the Death Penalty in the United States Helen Prejean Vintage Books 0679751319 1996 In 1982 Sister Helen Prejean became the spiritual adviser to Patrick Sonnier, the convicted killer of two teenagers who was sentenced to die in the electric chair of Louisiana’s state penitentiary in Angola. In the months before Sonnier’s death, Sister Helen came to know a man as terrified as he had once been terrifying. At the same time she came to know the families of the victims and the men whose job it was to execute him – men who often harboured doubts about the rightness of what they were doing.

	Welcome to Hell; Letters and Writings from Death Row compiled and edited by Jan Arriens (ed) – founder of LifeLines Northeastern University Press 155553290 1997 Gives condemned men and women the rare opportunity to speak for themselves and to talk about their existence in the hidden world of death row. These remarkable letters unmask the human face of the death penalty. The present volume has been recently updated and will be available soon. Details in TwoF.

	Rites of Execution; Capital punishment and the Transformation of American Culture, 1776 – 1865 Louis P. Masur Oxford University Press USA 0195066634 1989 A scholarly study of capital punishment in antebellum (pre-slavery) America. A comprehensive history of the cultural and social origins of the death penalty in 19th century America.

	Women and the Death Penalty in the United States, 1900-1998 Kathleen A. O’Shea Praeger Publishers 027595952 1999 Examines the history of the execution of women in the USA and provides some state by state analysis. Offers detailed descriptions of individual executions, which makes uncomfortable reading. Parts of the text could be interpreted as somewhat voyeuristic, although I would like to stress that this is only my personal opinion.

	Legal Lynching; Racism, Injustice and the Death Penalty Rev. Jesse Jackson Marlow and Co. 1569247064 1998 The racial injustice of sentencing and the application of capital punishment come in for particular attention. Jackson sketches the moral case for reforming the American criminal justice system to conform with what he sees as morally sound notions of justice and human rights. An informative and highly accessible text.

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