America's Condemned: Death Row Inmates in Their Own Words

by Dan Malone, Howard Swindle

With virtually every poll in America citing crime as one of the public's biggest concerns, in late 1994 and early 1995, the Dallas Morning News sent a questionnaire to every man and woman in the country on Death Row, asking some 75 questions about their crimes, their experiences, their attitudes, etc. The survey was drafted by the News with input from a veteran capital murder prosecutor, a Death Row appeals lawyer, a criminologist, a forensic psychiatrist, a Death Row warden and a former Death Row inmate.The paper received received more than 700 responses.The result is the first in-depth, comprehensive national survey of Death Row inmates. This book will be an expansion of the paper's four-installment series that appeared in 1997.

Genres: True Crime, Nonfiction

270 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 1999

Reviews

[Stephanie]

This book is very well-researched, detailed, factual, and informative. The authors surveyed and interviewed death row inmates and put together a very well-written book. I have to say though, some of this book was actually boring, which surprised me since the topic isn't a boring one at all. Some of it was eye-opening, but some of it just dragged. Ultimately, I'm glad I read it, but it wasn't the most fascinating book I've read, even though it's a fascinating topic. It's also quite out of date at this point.

[Ashley]

#87
Borrowed from the library.

FS: "Sammy Pettit's trip to Florida's death row began with the pull of a trigger on the bank of a dark creek in Punta Gorda and ended with the clang of a cell door at the Union Correctional Institution in Raiford."

LS:

[Maddy]

I had to read it for class but was on such an interesting topic I couldn’t even be mad.

[Anna]

I'm glad I took the time for this one and I'm only half through with it.

[Jessica]

S'ok

not long enough.
I wouldn't pay over $2.
it starts strong but then kind of Peters out on you.
disappointing