The Top Ten Death Penalty Myths

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The Top Ten Death Penalty Myths The Politics of Crime Control

Rudolph J. Gerber, John M. Johnson

Foreword by Sister Helen Prejean

Book Code: C9780

ISBN: 0-275-99780-4

ISBN-13: 978-0-275-99780-9

DOI:

256 pages, no art

Praeger Publishers

Publication: 11/30/2007

List Price: $49.95 (UK Sterling Price: £27.95)

Availability: In Stock

Media Type: Hardcover

Also Available: Ebook

Trim Size: 6 1/8 x 9 1/4

Subjects:

Reviews:

Starred Review Beginning with the history of the death penalty in Colonial times, the authors document how it has evolved over the years and how it has affected lawmakers and ordinary citizens alike. Particularly interesting are the little gems of information about how politicians have used it to further their own careers....[A] vital contribution to the anti-death penalty cause. Written in lay readers' language, the arguments are poignant and intense. The book could serve as a primer for anti-death penalty groups. Highly recommended.
—Library Journal July 2008

Description: The death penalty remains one of the most controversial issues in the United States. Its proponents claim many things in their defense of its continued application. For example, they claim that it deters crime, that death by lethal injection is painless and humane, that it is racially neutral, and that it provides "closure" to families of the victims. In this comprehensive review of the major death penalty issues, the authors systematically dismantle each one of these myths about capital punishment in a hard-hitting critique of how our social, political, and community leaders have used fear and myth (symbolic politics) to misrepresent the death penalty as a public policy issue. They successfully demonstrate how our political and community leaders have used myth and emotional appeals to misrepresent the facts about capital executions. Successive chapters address the following topics: the notion of community bonding, the expectation of effective crime fighting, the desire for equal justice, deterrence, the hope for fidelity to the Constitution, the claim of error-free justice, closure, retribution, cost-effectiveness, and the messianic desires of some politicians. In each of these areas the authors quote from death penalty advocates making these claims and then proceed to analyze and ultimately dismember the claimed advantages of the death penalty.

LC Card Number: 2007029122

LCC Class: HV8699

Dewey Class: 364

PDF Catalogs:
Praeger Crime Catalog 2008.pdf	Praeger Public Library Spring 2008.pdf
Praeger Politics 2007.pdf


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