BOOKS: ​“The Death Penalty: A Worldwide Perspective”

The Death Penalty: A Worldwide Perspective by Roger Hood and Carolyn Hoyle, now in its Fifth Edition, is ​“wide­ly regard­ed as the lead­ing author­i­ty on the death penal­ty in its inter­na­tion­al con­text.” The book explores the move­ment toward world­wide abo­li­tion of the death penal­ty, with an empha­sis on inter­na­tion­al human right prin­ci­ples. It dis­cuss­es issues includ­ing arbi­trari­ness, inno­cence, and deter­rence. Paul Craig, Professor of English Law at Oxford University, said of the fourth edi­tion, ​“Its rig­or­ous schol­ar­ship and the breadth of its cov­er­age are huge­ly impres­sive fea­tures; its claim to ​‘world­wide’ cov­er­age is no idle boast. This can fair­ly lay claim to being the clos­est thing to a defin­i­tive source-book on this impor­tant sub­ject.”

(R. Hood and C. Hoyle, ​“The Death Penalty: A Worldwide Perspective,” Oxford University Press, 2015; DPIC post­ed, May 15, 2015.). See also Books and International.