We see that javascript is disabled or not supported by your browser - javascript is needed for important actions on the site. Read more

What's New - Home - Login

Member $avings: $81,546,774.93 | Books Available: 800,487 | Members Online: 255

Swap Used Books - Buy New Books at Great Prices!

How To Swap Books Sign Up Search submenu

PBS Market (New Books)

Gift Buying Guide

Book Browser Advanced Search Books Posted Today Member Book Reviews Award Winning Books NYT Best Sellers Amazon Best Sellers Most Traveled Copies Club Wish List

Discussion Forums Book Lists

Club Lists My Book Lists My Watched Lists Create a List

Blog Donations

School Donation Program In Memory of... Military Donation Program Friends of PBS

Box-O-Books Maps The Eclectic Pen Fun Stuff

20 Questions Sudoku Bookmark Creator

Top 100

Requests Posts Swappers Referrers Reviewers

Pulse of PBS Spread The Word

Invite Friends Bookmarks Facebook Page Facebook App More Ways...

Photo Gallery Recipes Club Tag Cloud Member Testimonials

Help Center submenu

How To Swap Books Browse Help Docs Ask the Librarian PBS Member Icons Live Help

Kiosk

PBS Market (New Books) Go Shopping Buy Credits Buy PBS Money Upgrade Membership Gift Certificates Transfer Credits

Need Help?

Search - Living With the Death Penalty

Living With the Death Penalty
Author: Courtney Vaughn

Of Living with The Death Penalty: The Aftermath of Killing and Execution in the United States — By Courtney Vaughn — During the winter of 2001, I ran into a friend of mine, Carol McAlester, a former warden in three states and then an associate corrections director. — "You look pretty rough, Carol," I commented. — ... more » "Killing people takes it out of you," she said.

"What are you talking about?"

"I've been executing people. You should do a study on how it affects us corrections officials. I know people you could talk to."

Carol's words left me with little to say, something that didn't occur too often. A college professor for over two decades, I privately chided myself for being largely unaware of what sacrifices other state public servants were making. Aside from experiencing the short-lived popularity of a few movies and books, I had never really considered the far reaching affects executions might have on those who conducted them. No doubt, many other Americans were the same. After Carol and I parted, I began to investigate.

After interviewing corrections officials who had worked throughout the U. S., keeping and sometimes killing inmates, I knew I had heard only part of the story-to survive untimely death, live with the consequences, and search for what it meant to be among the living. Lucky to have many friends and colleagues who paved my entry into numerous homes and places of business, I then interviewed an older offender who forever try to atone, chaplains who attempt to comfort many, attorneys who fight for their own view of justice, and victims who struggle for meaning and healing. The last group includes survivors of murdered love ones and relatives of the executed. I told each person's story within social, historical, legal and my own personal context as a rape victim. Despite each one's similarity to or difference from the others, sacrifice, isolation, and resiliency were common. I came to sew us as pieces of cloth, partially torn from the greater human fabric, waiting to be re-sewn.

Most of the people I spoke with had heretofore been publicly silent. To protect all of the participants' identities, I changed names and circumstances involved with conducting and setting up the interviews and a few other identifying details. Because some of the murder cases gained national attention I changed minor details of a few. Unfortunately, murder is so common that those slight adjustments made those cases resemble many others. The security of confidentiality seemed to enhance the participants' candor. Unlike books such as Dead Man Walking and other works of fiction, none of the individuals in my book are composite characters. The content and context of each person's experiences and attitudes remains authentic.

ISBN-13: 9781425726294
ISBN-10: 1425726291
Publication Date: 10/21/2006
Pages: 208
Rating:

0 stars, based on 0 rating

Publisher: Xlibris Corporation
Book Type: Paperback
Members Wishing: 1
Reviews: Amazon | Write a Review

Genres:

Nonfiction >> Social Sciences >> Sociology >> General
Nonfiction >> Social Sciences >> Sociology >> Death

Back to the Top ↑

Search - Living With the Death Penalty

Loading...