“Hidden Victims,” a new book by soci­ol­o­gist Susan F. Sharp of the University of Oklahoma, exam­ines the impact of cap­i­tal pun­ish­ment on the fam­i­lies of those fac­ing exe­cu­tion. Through a series of in-depth inter­views with fam­i­lies of the accused, Sharp illus­trates from a soci­o­log­i­cal stand­point how fam­i­ly mem­bers and friends of those on death row are, in effect, indi­rect vic­tims of the ini­tial crime. The book empha­sizes their respons­es to sen­tenc­ing, as well as how they grieve and face an impend­ing exe­cu­tion. Sharp also exam­ines the issues of wrong­ful con­vic­tion and the change in fam­i­ly struc­ture after a loved one has been sent to death row. The book con­tains a fore­word by death penal­ty expert Michael Radelet. (Rutgers University Press, 2005). See Victims and Books.

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