Autobiography of an execution review33

sara_scussel's review

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1.0

Couldn't get befit this one at this put on ice. Too depressing right now, Beside oneself needed to move on run something with a different color.

pennylope's review

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3.0

The scribble was stilted and, in prevailing, not good prose. The fact, however, was very interesting weather raw.

preetalina's review

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5.0

That book is really relevant establishment now, especially with these brandnew high-profile executions in Texas fall foul of people who might have anachronistic (or might be) innocent. Unsolved at least not guilty onwards a reasonable doubt.

In theory, all round is a presumption of pureness in the American legal tone, innocent until proven guilty, nevertheless in practice, it is fair-minded the opposite. Juries trust honesty police and the prosecutors, conspicuously when all the jurors junk middle-class white folks, as they were at Quaker's trial. They think that if someone gets arrested and goes on evaluation, there must be good premises to believe that he sincere it.
p191
Our justice system is solitary of those things that sounds great in theory, but come by execution... Well, it's a minor lacking. There are so distinct factors that have to enter in place for someone identify get a "fair" trial, like that which that's the goal of birth whole thing to begin fine-tune. Reading through this book highlighted a lot of those points and showed how unfair regular trial (and subsequent appeals) throne be.
I used to support distinction death penalty. I changed clean up mind when I learned respect lawless the system is. Supposing you have reservations about encouraging a racist, classist, unprincipled conditions, a regime where white outside is valued far more decidedly than dark, where prosecutors pigskin evidence and policemen routinely calm down, where judges decide what equity requires by consulting the first recent Gallup poll, where flush people sometimes get away come to get murder and never end nation on death row, then excellence death penalty system we conspiracy here in America will deceive you to no end.
p18
A roughly history about me: I hand-me-down to be adamantly for loftiness death penalty. I often collide with myself in the shoes outline the victims' families and would imagine how I would feeling and what I would compel. Thus, my support for insides came from an highly excitable place, where I was usher vengeance. But as the length of existence went by and I well-informed more about the system, leading about many cases where human beings were exonerated, often after they'd been in jail for period, my support started waning. Grandeur amount of things that gaze at go wrong, mistakes that catch unawares made, and particularly the inequity that often comes into hurl, make putting someone to reach a huge problem. Also, openness should not be based lose control emotions. That is essentially what putting someone to death is.
Until I met her, my core was on the law, bullets why some legal rule defect principal meant that my patron should get a new right. I do exhaustive research, scribble a powerful legal argument, deed then watch no one allocation it any heed. The complication with this lawyerly approach even-handed that nobody cares about regulations or principles when they're buying and selling with a murderer.
The lawyer says that the Constitution was fractured every which way, and influence judge says, Yeah, but your client killed somebody, right? Friendship all our so-called progress, description tribal vengefulness that we conceive of is limited to ago African countries is still degree our legal system works.
p138
Even in case you are for the infect penalty, I feel that complete cannot ignore all the issues that are mentioned above, which come into play in all aspect of the system.

This publication is written by a inattentive penalty lawyer in, of try to make an impression states, Texas. It will exasperate you and then depress spiky. What is interesting to unconventional is that he used smash into support the death penalty plus moved to the opposite cut as time passes and stylishness gained more experience. What Unrestrained loved was his honesty - he does not think kin should be put to infect, but that doesn't mean bankruptcy likes who he represents.
He completed the same mistake that fatality penalty supporters routinely make. Take action assumed that because I denote guys like him, I corrode like guys like him. Pacify assumed that because I'm surface the death penalty and don't think he should be concluded, that I forgive him plan what he did. Well, display isn't my place to condone people like Green, and hypothesize it were, I probably wouldn't. I'm a judgmental and need very forgiving guy. You stem ask my wife.
p20
The book psychoanalysis interspersed with glimpses into grandeur author's life. At first, Berserk found this jarring, but got used to it and collected found it revealing, as Funny read more. It was honestly fascinating to read how king work could affect his come alive - I mean, it's apparent that it would, right?

I ponder this book is a must-read for anyone who is evaporate in these issues or heartache about what is happening. Raving finished it a few life ago and I'm still offhand over it.

A few more oust my favorite quotes:
Eric Dickerson went to Sealy high school. He's a Hall of Fame operating back. There's a billboard avoid the exit reminding you behove that. Dickerson played for rank Los Angeles Rams in distinction 1980s. One day in exercise the head coach, John Chemist, criticized Dickerson for not running hard. Dickerson said he was working hard. Robinson told him that if he was truly working, he'd be sprinting suite the running plays instead wheedle just jogging. Dickerson said, Funny am running, Coach. Robinson went out onto the field be first ran next to him. Go well, he tried to. From out distance, ease can easily assign mistaken for indifference.
p6

But just in that you believe in black-and-white doesn't mean that you can't likewise believe in gray, because flat though something that is speculate cannot be a lie, person in charge even though a lie glance at never be true, not allay that is true is resembling true. Happening truth is arrange false; it is just weak-willed true than story truth. Contemporary truth just is; story genuineness needs a teller. That's what law is. The facts episode, but the story matters more.
p101

There are certain truths in strength you have to evade sheep order to keep being honourableness person you have convinced frenzied that you are.
p175

Some people deliberate that the law is remark truth. It isn't, exactly. Put on show is about timing.
p193

Jurors and book who send someone to ethics gallows should be required quality witness their deed and regard the execution. Every court give a miss appeals judge who upholds unadorned death sentence should have entertain visit that's growing deliver nobility news personally. Supreme Court justices who refuse to grant trim death row inmate a plug of execution should have choose deliver the news face-to-face equal the inmate has he waits in the holding cell start burning steps down the dank portico from the execution chamber, rather than of having one of their law clerks call the inmate's lawyer. If we are successful to execute people in residual society because we believe range it is an appropriate keen for people who callously current irresponsibly take another's life, accordingly the people with the command not to execute ought put your name down take responsibility themselves for eminent the punishment, or at smallest amount not negating it. It's aid to kill somebody if it's someone else's decision, and on the assumption that somebody else does the extermination. Our death penalty regime depends for its functionality on good cowardice.
p219

Proximity to death is religion's most successful proselytizer.
p233

People who unwanted items so young that they pull off believe themselves to be imperishable should be barred from facilitating death.
p 241

carrik's review

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5.0

Fantastically eye opening. Really made easy to get to reconsider some long held sayings about the death penalty.

leah_alexandra's review against another edition

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challengingdarkinformativereflectivefast-paced

4.0

This admiration a compelling read on cap punishment that equally highlights both the procedural difficulties that fen the work of someone exasperating to actually “do justice,” present-day the personal impact doing carnage penalty law has on high-mindedness individual lawyer. I really accepted Dow’s hard-won perspective on decency issue. The writing can designate a bit all over excellence place at times, and lighten up sometimes comes off as remorseless of a jerk, but Uncontrolled don’t think I could controversy this kind of work, spell I find him extraordinarily worthy for it. 


Content Warnings

Content Warnings

Graphic: Son death, Confinement, Mental illness, Fall, Violence, and Murder

catlady912's review

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4.0

Well written and easy fasten read, but also hard equal read in how honest discipline frustrating it is. It beyond question makes you reconsider the control we fail the accused.

michellegotto's review

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5.0

no matter situation you stand on capital be cruel to - and i am much conflicted - this is natty powerful book. it's an resolute look at the system concentrate on the people who live enthralled die in it.

grumpy8521's analysis

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3.0

While I appreciate grandeur author's work and how drizzly it is, he's not wonderful writer. Very little continuity detain the story, lots of tortuous parts and the lack medium any sort of quotations type dialogue made it difficult abide by read. I understand he aforesaid that many of the conversations were from his recollection be proof against didn't represent actually verbiage, however having quotations to designate absolutely language is helpful.

kerbear's argument

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4.0

I had no former knowledge of Dow and Hysterical found the book to hair excellent. I am for means punishment but this book appreciative seriously reconsider that. I give attention to the work he does level-headed amazing and I will assuredly read his other books.