Questioning Capital Punishment, a new book by James R. Acker, a pro­fes­sor of crim­i­nal jus­tice at the University at Albany, pro­vides a com­pre­hen­sive overview of the death penal­ty in America. With a basis in court deci­sions and research stud­ies, the book cov­ers all the key issues and the argu­ments for and against cap­i­tal pun­ish­ment. Chapters are devot­ed to deter­rence, sen­tenc­ing cri­te­ria, racial dis­crim­i­na­tion, and inno­cence, among oth­er top­ics. In review­ing the book, Carol Steiker, a pro­fes­sor at Harvard Law School, said, ​“In the rapid­ly chang­ing polit­i­cal and legal land­scape around cap­i­tal pun­ish­ment, this vol­ume offers up-to-the-minute mate­ri­als and fair-mind­ed ques­tions to counter the par­ti­san bro­mides that often dom­i­nate the con­ver­sa­tion. A ter­rif­ic intro­duc­tion to a time­ly and impor­tant issue.” In the pref­ace, Prof. Acker wrote, ​“This vol­ume is intend­ed for any­one who is inter­est­ed in explor­ing the his­to­ry and cur­rent sta­tus of cap­i­tal pun­ish­ment in this coun­try, includ­ing its legal foun­da­tions, its jus­ti­fi­ca­tions, and its empir­i­cal and policy dimensions.”

(J. Acker, ​“Questioning Capital Punishment” (Routledge 2014); DPIC post­ed July 8, 2014). See Books and Student Resources.

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