NEW RESOURCE: Book Reviews Conditions that Led to Abolition in 12 States

America Without the Death Penalty: States Leading the Way provides a comprehensive review of the conditions that resulted in twelve U.S. states not having capital punishment. The book looks at factors such as economic conditions, public sentiment, mass media, population diversity, murder rates, and the regional history of executions, that led to abolition in those states. The book’s authors, Professors John F. Galliher, Larry W. Koch, David Patrick Keys, and Teresa J. Guess, provide an in-depth look at the nine jurisdictions that have banned the death penalty through legislative action and the three states that have banned it through court decisions. They also examine Washington, D.C., where residents have battled against Congressional efforts to reinstate capital punishment. (“American Without the Death Penalty: States Leading the Way,” Northeastern University Press, 2002; paperback edition 2005). See Books.