The cultural lives of capital punishment : comparative perspectives /

Modern theories of criminal justice seem to justify punishment of criminals either on the basis of some benefit society can expect to receive (deterrence or rehabilitation), or because the offender "deserves" punishment for the harm he or she has inflicted on the social order (retributive theory). Political scientists Sarat (Amherst College) and Boulanger (Free Univ., Berlin) examine one aspect of the retributive theory--the death penalty. There is a voluminous and often redundant literature extant on capital punishment in the US, but few scholars have undertaken a detailed comparative study of the death penalty across transnational boundaries. Sarat and Boulanger's well-written book fills that void. In fifteen chapters, they take the reader on a capital punishment odyssey through not only the US, but also central and south Asia, the Middle East, Kyrgyzstan, India, Israel, Palestine, Japan, Singapore, and South Korea. In a nutshell, this is a book well worth reading for those interested in exploring cross-cultural treatments of the death penalty. It incorporates the combined expertise of both Sarat and Boulanger, as well as the thinking of 15 additional scholars on the use and/or abolition of the laws' ultimate sanction for serious criminality. ^BSumming Up: Highly recommended. All levels/libraries. J. C. Watkins Jr. emeritus, University of Alabama