Customer Reviews

The Death Penalty on Trial: Crisis in American Justice

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I regularly tune into "American Justice" on A & E, so I was interested in reading this book by producer Bill Kurtis on the death penalty. Make no bones about it, Kurtis is adamantly against capital punishment. In this examination of two examples of wrongfully imprisoned men on death row, he shows why he feels so strongly about his conviction, rather than simply preaching his opinion.

The only annoying part of reading this was the narration. I'd be willing to gamble a week's wages that he dictated all of the content. It reads in the exact cadence that Kurtis speaks in: choppy sentences, and lots of colons. I could "hear" his distinct speech patterns, which is wonderful as a televised voice over, but a strange way to write in print.

That said, Kurtis' argument is solid and convincing. He carefully explains his own change of attitude regarding capital punishment; that the death penalty does nothing to deter killers, and that one person wrongly executed is one too many. Having America on the roster of countries who do implement this harsh form of punishment is not on par with the enlighted philosophy of liberty. Life in prison with no possibility of parole, especially a life in solitary confinement, is the most appropriate sentence for convicted murderers. Even if I didn't agree with the author, this examination of the American justice system is food for thought. The message comes through loud and clear, and I applaud Kurtis for tackling it.

A onetime capital punishment supporter, award winning journalist Bill Kurtis takes readers through the in's and out's of two cases where the wrong man was convicted and sentenced to death. The cases are discussed are filled with overzealous prosecutors, inexperienced defense attorneys, suppressed evidence and more. Unfortunately these issues are common to death penalty cases. These cases are not anomalies. Kurtis recently appeared on Larry King Live where a prosecutor actually had the gall to suggest that the two cases Kurtis discusses are actually proof that the system works since the convictions were eventually overturned! Never mind that both men lost over a decade of their lives and one was literally days away from execution. Kurtis skillfully shows us that a system rife with inaccuracies is simply not good enough when someone's life is on the line.

Whether or not you agree with the death penalty, this is a good book to check out. Kurtis gives eight solid reasons why one should be against the death penalty, and then uses two cases to back those reasons (he gives different examples on the video he has on the same subject for those who believe that only two examples are cursory).

Once a death penalty advocate himself, Kurtis changes his mind after Gov. George Ryan commutes the sentence of 164 men after DNA evidence exonerated 13 men (not 2 like the previous reader who couldn't stand it when people falsify info in book reviews said, haha). After hearing about these events, Kurtis looked deep into the judicial system to discover why so many men on death row were found innocent. The flaws he found are listed in the book.

A good read for someone who likes to strengthen their own ideas or find out what the opposition is saying. The language is easy to understand and interesting as opposed to technical. If this book doesn't make you at least think a little, you don't think! :)

Kurtis, an attorney and crime reporter, formerly supported the death penalty. However, Kurtis reports reversing his position upon learning of Illinois'Governor Ryan's decision to commute all the State's death sentences to life in prison after learning that 13 death row inmates had been subsequently found innocent. The book also summarized a nationwide study of 23 years of capital cases and found reversible errors in about 70%. (Similar findings from other studies were also briefly mentioned.)

Kurtis then provides details of how two death row inmates had been wrongly convicted. The first involved a fellow Phoenix-area resident - Ray Krone, found guilty in 1992 of murder on the basis of bite marks on the victim that supposedly matched Krone's teeth. Krone was sentenced to death. (There were no supporting fingerprints, and Krone had an alibi via a friend.)

Fortunately for Krone, a cousin who worked with dentists took interest in the case, and showed the bite-mark evidence to a forensic expert who immediately concluded that there was no match. Starting with an affidavit to that effect, the cousin then began efforts for a new trial, which was granted on the basis that the first trial's "bite-mark expert video" had been introduced too late for adequate defense review. In the subsequent retrial it was also brought out that the original prosecution bite-mark "expert" was actually a novice, and that his mentor had also concluded that Krone's teeth did not match. (This information had been kept from Krone's defense.) Nonetheless, Krone was again convicted, though this time the judge had doubts and sentenced him to life in prison.

Finally, after additional defense efforts, new DNA testing techniques were brought to bear on a previously untested piece of the victim's clothing. This time the results completely exonerated Krone, and identified the real killer (already in prison).

The "good news" is that Ray became the 100th person freed from death row since 1973; the "bad news" that he had spent about ten years in prison, and it required the strong efforts of relatives and about $120,000 from them for legal research.

Other common major problems cited in the book include inexperienced defense lawyers, prosecutors who lied or suppressed evidence, unreliable eyewitnesses, jailhouse informants trading "information" for leniency, and coerced confessions obtained by disreputable interrogation means.

The "bottom-line" for Kurtis is that our legal system is too unreliable for imposing the death penalty.

I remember Bill Kurtis from when I was a teenager living in Chicago and watching him report the local news every night. I didn't know then that he had a law degree or a sharp-as-a-tack mind. Now I know both, and I'm thankful that he has put both to use in researching and writing this book.

The two case histories he profiles make for an engrossing read. They sound the alarm that something is definitely wrong in this country when it comes to our justice system.

This is a must-read for anyone who cares about the American justice system or the death penalty. The compelling case that Kurtis makes for abolishing the death penalty cannot be ignored.

Written by the host of the TV show Cold Case Files, this book is quite short. It quickly covers 2 death penalty trials. It shows how easily innocent people can get convicted on scanty evidence by prosecutors who have more money to spend on the investigation and more talent to sell their case to the juries. Most defense attorneys who handle death penalty cases have no extra training and get paid very little by the state to defend the poor. The author argues that the U.S. trial system makes too many mistakes to be used as a death sentence.

If you are, the idea of the state (meaning you, the people) killing people, who are convicted of crimes they did not committ ought to make you get on your knees and ask God for forgiveness. Because that is precisely what our criminal justice system does. Human beings are flawed, and the justice system, which human beings have created, is flawed. There have been too many wrongful convictions and one wrong conviction is one too many. The truly scary point is that if the wrong person is being convicted, then the real killer is walking free! Where's the justice in that?

This book is easy to read. Anyone with an 8th grade education ought to be able to understand the points discussed in this book.

It's time for everyone to wake up!

Injustice in criminal cases is a passion of mine. Bad cops, judges and prosecutors have too much power over a person's life. I've seen so many people wrongfully accused. I am in favor of the death penalty if the person is guilty beyond any doubt. Otherwise, life in prison is the only answer. Evidence can be presented any way the prosecutor wants and that needs to change now.

Its been a few months since I read this book so the information is not fresh in my mind.

My impression is that Mr. Kurtis did an excellent job of leading the reader to the conclusions he was striving for.
He uses wording carefully and it is evident he put a lot of thought into each point he was trying to make. His book is thought provoking, and is rather hash on American justice. As a result of reading this book I am now less likely to support the death penalty when there is any doubt as to the person's guilt. When there is absolutely no doubt I still support the death penalty, especially for cop killers. This country spends an enormous amount of money to defend people charged with crimes, but the justice system does make mistakes - which Bill so amply points out to the reader. Another good e.g. is the case of Tim Cole from Texas. He died in prison while serving a rape conviction that was horribly mishandled. I would suggest you Google for a review. This case and the two e.g.'s presented by Bill Kurtis are very troubling. They speak poorly of how some cases are judged in America, especially for poor or low income people. I would highly recommend this book.

Many societies consider the death penalty too barbaric of a penalty to impose on one of its own citizens. However, many of the States in the USA consider the death penalty not too barbaric to employ. Even if one did believe in the death penalty, at the very least, one would want the process to be error free.

This book clearly makes the case that legal systems leading to the death penalty in American Justice are ripe with errors. These errors lead to the convictions of absolutely innocent persons. Most persons who learn of the high error rate in death penalty cases can not advocate for this form of punishment any longer.