Machinery of Death: The Reality of America's Death Penalty RegimeDavid Dow, Mark Dow Thurgood Marshall said that the more people learned about the death penalty, the more they'd be against it. It's racist, unfair to poor people and the mentally retarded, and far too often ends horribly in the state sanctioned murder of innocents. And no one, no matter how much they're paid, likes to be involved with death itself. In Machinery of Death, death penalty lawyer David R. Dow and writer Mark Dow bring together diverse views from lawyers, wardens, victims' families, executioners and inmates to show how America's death penalty system actually works, and what it does to those who come in contact with it. Arguing that the more we know about the system the more we'll oppose it, the book offers harrowing story after story of racist juries and unjust rulings, of backward judges and public defenders, and of families facing the ultimate decision. Together, these intimate and shocking writings show that in practice, the death penalty is impossible to administer in a fair, workable manner. This is the first death penalty book to look beyond innocence and morality, arguing against executing even the guilty people. Machinery of Death is a crucial link in the fiery public debate over the meaning and usefulness of this deeply flawed system. |
Contents
The Problem of Innocence | 1 |
How the Death Penalty Really Works | 11 |
The Execution of Ivon Ray Stanley | 37 |
Race and the Death Penalty | 45 |
The Judge as Lynch Mob | 79 |
Samuel B Johnson | 91 |
Jousting with the Juggernaut | 107 |
CONTENTS | 145 |
Interview with Warden | 175 |
Is the Death Penalty Good for Women? | 195 |
The Legacy of Mr Smile | 225 |
In Memory of Andrew Lee Jones | 241 |
Representing Robert Sawyer | 249 |
Killing the Death Penalty with Kindness | 269 |
Speaking Out against the Execution of Timothy McVeigh | 275 |
Reflections on Justice Survival and Healing | 283 |
Other editions - View all
Machinery of Death: The Reality of America's Death Penalty Regime David R. Dow,Mark Dow Limited preview - 2014 |
Machinery of Death: The Reality of America's Death Penalty Regime David R. Dow,Mark Dow Limited preview - 2014 |
Machinery of Death: The Reality of America's Death Penalty Regime David Dow No preview available - 2002 |
Common terms and phrases
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