Slavery, lynching and capital punishment were interwoven in the United States and by the mid-twentieth century these connections gave rise to a small but well-focused reform movement. Biased and perfunctory procedures were replaced by prolonged trials and appeals, which some found messy and meaningless; DNA profiling clearly established innocent persons had been sentenced to death. The debate over taking life to protect life continues; this book is based on a hugely popular undergraduate course taught at the University of Texas, and is ideal for those interested in criminal justice, social problems, social inequality, and social movements.

This book is an excerpt from a larger text, Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Decides?, http://www.routledge.com/9780415892476/

About the Author

Sheldon Ekland-Olson joined The University of Texas at Austin after completing his graduate work at the University of Washington in Seattle and Yale Law School. He is currently the Bernard and Audre Rapoport Centennial Professor of Liberal Arts. He served for five years as Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and then for eight years as Executive Vice President and Provost of the university. He has authored or co-authored several books and numerous articles on criminal justice, prison reform, and capital punishment. Widely recognized for his commitment to teaching undergraduates, he is the recipient of numerous teaching awards. His current interests are reflected in the book manuscript, Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Decides?

Danielle Dirks is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology at Occidental College in Los Angeles, California. She completed her doctoral work at The University of Texas at Austin, with a focus on American capital punishment and the rise of "closure" as a death penalty rationale in the post-Furman era. Her scholarly interests include crime, law, and deviance and racial and ethnic relations in the United States.

Book Information
ISBN 9780415505192
Author Sheldon Ekland-Olson
Format Paperback
Page Count 80
Imprint Routledge
Publisher Taylor & Francis Ltd
Weight(grams) 150g