Very very entertaining  read!

Reviews..

BLOWS THE LID OFF CAPITAL PUNISHMENT ……   Lifton and Mitchell do a great job of not only explaining the vast problems with capital punishment - from its bias against blacks to its immorality - but they also delve into the psyche of everyone involved. Whether you are pro-death penalty or a strong opponent, this book opens your eyes to everything that is wrong with capital punishment.

But, you also learn why you either favor or object to the practice though detailed psychiatric analysis that most people don't even consider when weighing in on the issue.

Sure, the authors are fierce death penatly opponents, but that does not stop them from putting a critical eye on both sides of the debate and providing strong arguments for the end of this process.

Good book -- good angles on capitol punishmentI found this book a good read and would recommend it.

One major objective of this book is to show capitol punishment from all angles. They talk about he prosecutors, the jurors, the judge, the executioners, the governors, and all other cogs in the system. By the time they are done, they make a convincing argument that this process is so fractionalized that nobody feels ultimate responsibility for this grave action (which helps keep it alive).

It also explores people's "support" for capitol punishment. You come to realize that the *objective* of a lot of supporters is keeping the criminal off the street, not vengeance. Thus, when given the option of life without parole, the support for capitol punishment drops below 50%.

I feel that there was a lot of "On one hand... then on the other hand... but you have to remember... and it is important not to discount...".

Although they referenced many polls and facts, I would have preferred this to be a little more 'scientific' and less philosophical. Also in their effort to explor all sides of this issue, many of their statements are pretty obvious -- for example, victim families what vengence and 'closure'. Duh.

I found the style to be a little odd. One of the writers is a journalist and the book is written accordingly. One one hand, they try to be even-handed showing all sides, while on the other, they write with the base assumption that capitol punishment is wrong. I did not find this confusing, but it was a little odd.

I don't wish these comments to discourage people -- it is a worthwhile read, but it does have a few shortcomings.

Capital Punishment: America's Dilemma ……… The book does a great job in providing an overview of the death penalty and why it should be discontinued. The authors use an anecdote style and good documentation to debunct the death penalty on moral, religious, and pragmatic reasons. Nearly everyone has heard the DNA argument and the lack of competant legal representation for death row prisoners as a reason for discontinuing capital punishment. Lifton and Mitchell present original ideas such as "death dynamism" which promotes a cycle of death(i.e. domestic terrorism martyrs), how the death penalty actually prevents emotional healing, and that who dies can depend on locale and a particular judge. The authors present somber examples throughout the book, one in particular about how one judge may agonize over the penalty and another may draw a "happy face" on a death warrant. A minor point; I wish that the authors had explored the character of American violence more deeply particularly the current culture which is currently evolving via graphic video games, music, and of course movies. I say this not from a moral basis but in a pragmatic sense that these influences may make society less sensitive to the loss of human life. I highly recommend this book and feel it will be a excellent resource for years to come.

Killing a Person is Either Right or Wrong...Can't Be Both, Can ItRegardless of how "biased" or "unbiased" these authors are, or whether or not the paperback edition costs less than the hardcover, and just what Amazon's marketing intentions really are, this IS an important book that should be read by anyone concered about, or who participate in, the debate about the "death penalty." My own belief is that it's really easy to argue "for" killing as the ability to do so lies in the "nature" of each of us. As an old 3-Dog Night song goes, It's "easy to be hard...to be cruel!" Taking an honest look at forgiveness and mercy is what's difficult - I know it is for me, the belief in an "eye for an eye" notwithstanding. Actually, Jesus Christ, speaking As and For GOD "struck down" this particular belief (eye4eye) in favor of a not-so-natural way of behaving. (Matthew 5:38) Anyway, Take Care & Stay Well!

Very good book!, I read this book for a class and I really liked the book! I thought it was one of the best books that I've read on the issue of capital punishment.

Interesting Look Yet Not UnbiasedI was a bit disappointed in this book because the dust jacket states the authors attempted to write a unbiased book covering the people that are part of the capital punishment process in America. Maybe it is that the authors stance on the death penalty is so strong that it is all they could do to be as objective as they were, but I was still looking for an unbiased account. With that said I did learn a lot from the book, I also agree with the author's position on the death penalty so their position was not that hard to take. I just wanted more of the other side represented so that I could learn more about that point of view.

The most eye opening part of the book is just the raw data on how many people are currently on death row and how many people have been taken off death row after being proven innocent. The authors also take the reader through all the people associated with the death penalty for interviews. From Judges and juries to the prison guards and executioners, all get a say in the book. What was interesting is that the authors did not present any really gun ho, hang them high types, all the people seamed down to earth and a little uneasy about the whole process. I think there is such a primitive law and order feeling associated with the states power to end a life that I do not think the authors are correct that the death penalty is coming to an end in America - it just appeals to too much of the population.

Overall this is an interesting and eye-opening book. If you are interested in the personal side of the death penalty then this is a good place to start. It did slow down at the end and again I would have liked a little more unbiased writing if only to hold the book out as an example of an unbiased report pushing for the end to the death penalty.