Customer Reviews

Life on Death Row

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Wow! I keep shaking my head, in fits and starts. Here is the clearest, most erudite document that I've yet read (and there have been many) regarding existence on one of America's death row facilities and the catastrophe of our judicial system. I have a bias here because I am currently watching a close friend undergo the exact same calamity that author/inmate Robert Murray so eloquently captures in this fine, eye-opening book. From drunken lawyers (if you can't operate a vehicle legally under the influence, should you be allowed to defend a man's life while inebriated?), counsel afraid of their clients, juries only selected with a prejudice for a death sentence, political posturing, the list goes on ad infinitum.... I have been searching for a work that explains my utter amazement and horror at what I've witnessed to give to friends and family to help them understand my change of heart regarding capital punishment. This is the finest example to date that I have come across embodying the naked truth of our tax dollars being spent to perpetuate state sanctioned murder (this is the listed cause of death on the death certificate). The only error I found in the entire text is concerning the application of death via the "more humane" procedure of lethal injection. In actuality, it is the norm that when the killing agent is introduced into the bloodstream that a violent convulsing reaction occurs comparable to extinguishment by gas or electricity. But, as Mr. Murray so aptly points out, he wouldn't be privy to such information because nobody ever returns from the death house to tell him about it. As the saying goes, capital punishment means them without the capital get the punishment.

Robert Murray will prpbably spend the rest of his life on death row in Arizona. In his book, hee tells about the days in prison and his feelings and the daily routine.
For a free man it gives a small impression how life is on death row.
That book is very important for anyone who likes to know how men live behind prison walls.
Strongly recommended!

I read the book within 3 days although English isn't my mother tongue.
In Switzerland we don't have no death row and death penalty and so it was very interesting - and strange - to read about life on death row.
That book wa a real page turner for me and my interest was not to read about horror and whatsoever but about a human being living under such circumstances in a prison in Arizona.
I only know a few about Robert Murray and his case, but I read a lot of things about laws and trials in the USA.
I don't know if Murray's innocent or not,, but his book shows me that, whatever he committed, he's still a human being with feelings and emotions.

The author of this book is an inmate on Death Row in Arizona. He writes articulately and thoughtfully on the entire process of capital punishment: arrest, trial, conviction, incarceration, appeal, and the ultimate execution. He demonstrates that it is very difficult to get off of this road once a person is forced onto it. Along the way, he discusses details of life on Death Row. He addresses philosophical questions such as how one survives emotionally from day-to-day, as well as the boredom, interactions with guards, interactions with the legal system, interactions with the prison system, interactions with the medical system, and interactions with the rest of the world via visitors, letters, and television. This reviewer was drawn into the book and came to identify with the author and to even ask how he himself would cope with the prison circumstances. This book should be read by anyone interested in our execution system.

Robert W. Murray has been living his live in an Arizona death row prison since the early 1990's.

Living apart from apart from friends and family members for more than a decade he has found a new comfort in sharing his experiences with people whom will care to listen.

Previously Robert has had articles published in magazines such as Harper's with great success and has a very unique and captivating way of writing and sharing his thoughts.

This book is not only about life in a tiny cell with cement walls and floors, no privacy and no physical contact to other people. A life with frequent shake-downs, controlled living and a "home" filled with noises from other people just waiting for the unknown. It is also a book sharing memories from a life before death row as well as dreams and hopes of a brighter future.

You might not share Robert's view on capital punishment, but whether you do or not, this book will teach you things you might not have known before and give you new food for thought.

It is not all politics, not all Robert talking from what he believes and not all sadness and desperation. It is a man sharing memories, hopes and telling you, the reader, what really goes on after society puts you away and isolates you from what you once knew as life....

Life on Death Row

This is a must read for anyone seriously interested in the concept of justice. Set in death row of a super max prison in Arizona, Robert W Murray has produced a vivid account of his experiences drawing the reader directly into the narrative, almost into his tiny isolated cell.
Brought to life are many examples of the inhumanity of the prison system, where men and women are stripped of their dignity, where executions are carried out to further political careers and the legal system which Robert describes as, "Fair", is misused by incompetent people.
This is a moving book which argues for the removal of the death penalty not only because some of those killed by the state are innocent but also because of the absolute futility of vengeance by execution.
Through Roberts emotive vocabulary I felt a sense of the anger, frustration and helplessness as he watched the slow death of Ed Mc Call who was left on his cell floor to die a painful death.
I sensed the pain that tortures Robert when he says,' my baby brother grew into a man larger than life itself. And I struggle on a daily basis with the knowledge of where he lives today, beside me....... on Death Row'
His words bring to life the case of Arthur Ross who was so disillusioned he refused to fight, 'It was an easy kill for the state. Ross hadn't asked for any appeals, or any stays of execution.' Referring to Ross's lawyer Robert said, 'She failed him miserably'.
Robert was asked the following question by a college student, `Why do you make no effort to mention the horror and brutality of what your condemned brethren (and perhaps you as well) have done, yet rail about how difficult and unjust a situation you are all in'.
He answers,"I have made an effort to recognise the terrible fate of the victims of capital crimes. There is a proper time and place for such commentary. I think most people recognise that the victims were subjected to violent and lethal crime.
I do attempt to explain another view of the situation, which may not be a given, or even understood. That is my role..........I focus mostly on the punishment experience, the defendants role, because that is the role fate has dealt me......No one needs a death row inmate reminding them how revolting murder is."
Both Robert and his brother Roger were convicted for a murder they did not commit.

Robert W. Murray drew a very touching picture of what is hidden behind the term JUSTICE in the United States.
It shows you instantly that this could have happened to anybody!
He lets witness us his childhood and the story how it happened that he and his brother Roger were wrongly convicted for a terrible murder.
America is not interested in finding the real killers. Why? read the book! Trials are sport shows in the USA - lawyers and attorneys go to court to win a game and not to find justice.
He shows us that even enclosed in a cave without daylight, he never gave up. Help him and his brother! Buy this book!

I thought this book was great. The subject of the book is sad, but it is thought provoking and should be read by anyone and everyone interested in the death penalty issues in our country today. Robert is a wonderful writer, and while reading this book, you are able to picture what he is talking about and feel what he is feeling, you can feel his heartbreak as he talks about how his brother is living right there and yet he has'nt been able to talk to, see or touch him in many years. People don't often think about our inmates in this country and how they feel, but they do feel and this book illustrates this very well. Anyone interested in the issues this book raises, anyone who is not sure about the death penalty, and for those who think they know all about it, and have made up their minds, you should read this. Insightful and interesting read, grabs you from the first page and keeps you reading.