Death Row and Capital Punishment

For the ultimate crime, the ultimate punishment: what higher price could be paid than death? Yet what other sanction could there be for the criminal who does not shrink from murder? Capital punishment -- the application of the death sentence -- is one of the most controversial aspects of America's criminal justice system, opponents claiming that it is inappropriate to the world's greatest democracy. Yet, as this fascinating introduction shows, the death penalty, although many thousands of years old, has changed beyond recognition in the history of modern America. No offender is sent to execution lightly now; the imposition of the death penalty is subject to an elaborate array of legal restrictions, while those convicted are entitled to avail themselves of an extensive -- often protracted -- series of appeals. This absorbing book outlines some of these safeguards and looks at how they came about; it compares the system used in America with others around the world. In short, it provides an in-depth and encompassing view of the various issues the use of capital punishment presents Book jacket.Kerrigan, Michael is the author of 'Death Row and Capital Punishment' with ISBN 9781590843758 and ISBN 1590843754.