BOOKS: ​“The Ultimate Sanction” by Robert Bohm

Professor Robert M. Bohm has published a new book on capital punishment, The Ultimate Sanction: Understanding the Death Penalty Through Its Many Voices and Many Sides. The book looks at the death penalty through interviews with people affected by the system in different ways. “We must,” Bohm writes, “begin to understand the reach of capital punishment beyond just the victim and the perpetrator.” To that end, he includes perspectives from investigators, prosecutors, prison wardens, victims’ and offenders’ families, judges, and attorneys. The book uses interviews to explore issues of deterrence, retribution, and fairness, while taking a unique look at how the death penalty affects those who participate in the system. In conclusion, Bohm suggests that capital punishment’s collateral damage is another reason for reconsidering the wisdom of this ultimate sanction.

Robert Bohm holds a Ph.D. in Criminology from Florida State University and is currently a professor of Criminal Justice and Legal Studies at the University of Central Florida. He is also a former corrections officer.

(R. Bohm, “Ultimate Sanction: Understanding the Death Penalty Through Its Many Voices and Many Sides,” Kaplan Publishing, 2010). See more Books on the death penalty and New Voices.