Just Revenge: Costs and Consequences of the Death Penalty [Hardcover]

Mark Costanzo (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1997

There are more prisoners on death row than ever in U.S. history. Social psychologist Mark Costanzo's intelligent, provocative, and historically grounded study of the death penalty in America takes an unblinking look at how the system really works--not just how it's supposed to work. Weighing the costs and benefits, Costanzo builds an important new model for understanding the politics behind the practice of capital punishment.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

With 3200 condemned prisoners on death rows and executions routine in 38 states, social psychologist Costanzo contends that it is time for this country to reconsider the cost and consequences of the death penalty. His ensuing text is thoroughly researched and refreshingly easy to read. Chapters 1 and 2 give the history of executions in the United States from the first documentation in 1608. Although the author makes scant mention of the American witch trials and the treatment of slaves, he shows proof that this country was at one time more humane than Europe in its methods. In subsequent chapters, he considers whether the death penalty is cheaper than life imprisonment, is fairly applied, or is a deterrent to potential murderers. Highly recommended for its content and style, this book should be useful for academic collections in sociology and criminal justice.?Frances O. Sandiford, Green Haven Correction. Facil. Lib., Stormville,
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews

A polemic maintaining that the death penalty is cruel and unfair, that it doesn't prevent crime, and that it can be replaced by a sentence of life without parole (LWOP). Although in his introduction Costanzo (Social Psychology/Claremont McKenna Coll.) says he is attempting ``a critical analysis of the costs, benefits, and consequences of the death penalty,'' he evokes emotion as readily as he does reason. For those who prefer the sensational, he describes death-row existence, executions gone awry, and the grief of having a family member sentenced to death. For those preferring to build arguments, he suggests some useful points: Death-penalty trials and appeals are so long, complicated, and expensive that we can save money by abolishing execution; having a court-appointed lawyer and being black (especially if the victim is white) increase a defendant's chances of being sentenced to death; the death penalty is ineffective as a deterrent, because most murders are not premeditated acts but crimes of passion. In its better moments, the book gathers from other sources glimpses of the legal system that will give a reader pause, e.g., the judge who instructed a jury to weigh ``mitigating'' and ``aggravating'' factors when determining a sentence but refused to tell jurors what the words meant. Less impressive are times one suspects gaps in the presentation, most problematically in the endorsement of LWOP to replace the death penalty. Costanzo notes some people's fear that those who have, in his words, committed ``murders so vile that they defy understanding'' can someday walk free and adds that ``most judges'' won't assure jurors that the LWOP sentence precludes eventual release. However, rather than exploring this judicial reluctance, he blithely insists that LWOP constitutes an ``ironclad guarantee'' that such murderers will stay in prison. For some, Costanzo's guarantee may not suffice. This volume is as likely to annoy as to persuade those who support the death penalty, but its opponents will find a disappointingly modest handful of ammunition. (For another look at the death penalty, see John D. Bessler, Death in the Dark: Midnight Executions in America, p. 1424.) -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press; 1st edition (November 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 031215559X
• ISBN-13: 978-0312155599
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,138,340 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A good introduction to the topic, November 21, 2000

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Just Revenge: Costs and Consequences of the Death Penalty (Hardcover)

This book is a great short introduction to the many arguments against the death penalty. I would highly recommend this book to those who are investigating this topic for the first time, because the book clearly shows how our criminal "justice" system is anything BUT just - especially as it relates to the death penalty and indigent defense.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If you read only 1 book about the death penalty, read this!, May 6, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Just Revenge: Costs and Consequences of the Death Penalty (Hardcover)

This well-written book examines virtually all arguments regarding the death penalty. In addition to exposing current practices, Just Revenge also puts the death penalty in an historical context. Its inevitable conclusion, as it demolishes every well-cherished but incorrect justification for the death penalty (with the exception of a clause in the 5th Amendment) , is that the only thing proponents have left on their side is indeed just revenge. Mark Costanzo's own opinion is clear virtually from the start, but he backs it up with fact after devastating fact. If you want to learn more about the death penalty, this is an excellent place to begin. It is also a useful reference book as it is chock-full of statistics and anecdotes.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Just Revenge, October 1, 2007

By 

Casey McQuiston (Babbitt, MN United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Just Revenge: Costs and Consequences of the Death Penalty (Paperback)

This was a good and concise publication in opposition to capital punishment. It presented good arguments from various angles as to why the death penalty should be abolished. It would definitely be a great tool in a college classroom.