The Penalty of Death

One of the founders of the field of criminology sums up a lifetime of work on the issue of capital punishment. He shows the fallacy of the arguments for the deterrent and retributive value of the death penalty. He argues cogently and passionately for the body of evidence showing that 'abolitionist' states suffer no more capital crime than 'retentionist' ones, and that retribution is neither swift, certain nor equitable.
`This is an impressive book by an established American criminologist...A short review cannot do justice to the careful argument, backed up by detailed evidence, which is contained here. The book is readable and clear, and anyone interested in the subject should certainly refer to it.' -- Bramshill Journal

List of contents

Foreword by Franklin E. Zimring
Preface
Introduction
Chapter 1. The Divine Command: Death to the Wicked
Chapter 2. Retribution: Success or Failure?
Chapter 3. Unequal Justice
Chapter 4. The Risk Factor
Chapter 5. On General Deterrence
Chapter 6. The Police and the Death Penalty
Chapter 7. The Recidivism of Capital Murderers
Chapter 8. A Matter of Rates
Chapter 9. Experimenting with Death
Chapter 10. The Twentieth Century

Product details

• Authors: Thorsten Sellin
• Publisher: SAGE Publications, Inc
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 01.03.1980
• EAN: 9780803914537
• ISBN: 978-0-8039-1453-7
• No. of pages: 208
• Dimensions: 152 mm x 229 mm x 11 mm
• Weight: 309 g
• Series: Sage Library of Social Researc
• Subject: Social sciences, law, business > Law > Criminal law, criminal procedural law, criminology