Who Owns Death? Capital Punishment, the American Conscience, and the End of Executions
About this book
Capital punishment has existed in our country for centuries, but Americans have always felt conflicted about it. Now, as the number of executions rises, opposition to the death penalty is building. To explain this society-wide struggle to come to grips with executions, a pair of award-winning authorsa distinguished psychiatrist and acclaimed journalisttalked to Americans deeply involved in the death penalty system. Highly topical and provocative, Who Owns Death? is unique in exploring the mindset of those who play some role in executionsincluding prison wardens, prosecutors, jurors, judges, and relatives of murder victims, many of whom reveal surprising doubts about, even opposition to, state killing. Indeed, in a sure-to-be controversial conclusion, the authors predict that executions in America will come to an end in the near future.