Review by Booklist Review
Jackson has performed many functions over the years, among them preacher, prophet, and political candidate. But this is his first book: an accessible recapitulation of the arguments that have convinced most of the world's industrialized nations to end capital punishment. Using vivid factual incidents to humanize statistics and legal analysis, Jackson describes capital punishment's history and effective alternatives to "legal lynching" (notably, variants on life-without-parole); examines the constitutional, moral, and theological questions that the death penalty raises; traces the impact of geography, race, sex, and economic status on U.S. sentencing patterns; explains how new limits on habeas corpus appeals increase the risk that innocent people will be executed; presents the research controversy over whether capital punishment does more to deter criminals or to brutalize society; and explores the blend of misinformation, doubts, and prejudice underlying the support for capital punishment displayed in public opinion polls. Though he has sometimes been a polarizing figure, here, as in his political campaigns, Jackson addresses all Americans, sharing his profound conviction that "because it is morally wrong, but also . . . unevenly and unfairly implemented, . . . humanity can no longer tolerate the death penalty." --Mary Carroll
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Booklist Review
