Death Penalty On Trial

What does the most infamous criminal proceeding in history--the trial of Jesus of Nazareth--have to tell us about capital punishment in the United States? Jesus Christ was a prisoner on death row. If that statement surprises you, consider this fact: of all the roles that Jesus played--preacher, teacher, healer, mentor, friend--none features as prominently in the gospels as this one, a criminal indicted and convicted of a capital offense. Now consider another fact: the arrest, trial, and execution of Jesus bear remarkable similarities to the American criminal justice system, especially in capital cases. From the use of paid informants to the conflicting testimony of witnesses to the denial of clemency, the elements in the story of Jesus' trial mirror the most common components in capital cases today. Finally, consider a question: How might we see capital punishment in this country differently if we realized that the system used to condemn the Son of God to death so closely resembles the system we use in capital cases today? Should the experience of Jesus' trial, conviction, and execution give us pause as we take similar steps to place individuals on death row today? These are the questions posed by this surprising, challenging, and enlightening book

A Pulitzer Prize-winning historian takes a new and closer look at the Supreme Court's controversial and much-debated stance on capital punishment in the landmark case of Furman v. Georgia.

Bill Kurtis, anchor of the wildly popular true-crime TV series Cold Case Files and American Justice, used to support the death penalty. But after observing the machinations of the justice system for thirty years, he came to a stunning realization that changed his life: Capital punishment is wrong. There can be no real justice in America until it is abolished. In The Death Penalty on Trial, Kurtis takes readers on his most remarkable investigative journey yet. Together, we revisit murder scenes, study the evidence, and explore the tactical decisions made before and during trials that send innocent people to death row. We examine the eight main reasons why the wrong people are condemned to death, including overzealous and dishonest prosecutors, corrupt policemen, unreliable witnesses and expert witnesses, incompetent defense attorneys, bias judges, and jailhouse informants. We see why the new jewel of forensic science, DNA, is revealing more than innocence and guilt, opening a window into the criminal justice system that could touch off a revolution of reform. Ultimately we come to a remarkable conclusion: The possibility for error in our justice system is simply too great to allow the death penalty to stand as our ultimate punishment.

Capital punishment is wrong. There can be no real justice in America until is abolished. Here, Kurtis revisits two murder scenes, studies the evidence, & explores the decisions made before & during trial, which sent two innocent men to death row. Here are the 8 reasons why the wrong people are condemned to death: overzealous & dishonest prosecutors, corrupt policemen, unreliable witnesses & expert witnesses, incompetent defense attorneys, biased judges, & jailhouse informants. Now, DNA is revealing more than innocence & guilt, it is opening a window into the criminal justice system that could touch off a revolution of reform. żThe possibility for error in our justice system is too great to allow the death penalty to stand as our ultimate punishment.ż

Covering both the substantive law and the procedural law of the death penalty, this title begins with the arguments for and against the death penalty and an explanation of its basic constitutional challenges and limitations. Major sections cover capital crimes and defenses, as well as trial level and post-trial procedural issues. Special topics such as race and gender bias and executing the innocent are included, as well as a section on international and foreign law issues. This Nutshell serves both as supplemental reading for students in death penalty courses and as a concise, narrative explanation of death penalty law.

An up-to-date examination of legal changes and shifting attitudes surrounding capital punishment

Violent crime touches all of us in some way. We know persons who have been abused, beaten, or killed. We fear theft, rape, murder. We pay taxes to support the police, the judges, and the correctional centers. In this book the author suggests that something is dreadfully wrong with our criminal justice system. It focuses more on punishing the offender than on making things right. It is more concerned with establishing blame than reconciling the victim and offender. "A life for a life' seems to be the motto. If this phrase sounds familiar, it is. But the author claims the Scriptures do not support the principle of revenge. Rather, the Mosaic law provided refuge for the offender and made quick, biased punishment almost impossible.