Former Texas prison chaplain Rev. Carroll Pickett, working with two time Edgar Award-winner and New York Times best selling author Carlton Stowers, provides this eloquent, unflinching look at capital punishment.
Within These Walls is the powerful memoir of Rev. Pickett, who spent fifteen years as the death house chaplain at "The Walls," the Huntsville unit of the Texas prison system. In that capacity Rev. Pickett ministered to 95 men before they were put to death by lethal injection. They came with sinister nicknames like "The Candy Man" and "The Good Samaritan Killer," some contrite, some angry-a few who might even have been innocent. All of them found in Rev. Pickett their last chance for an unbiased confessor who would look at them only as fellow humans, not simply as the convicted criminals the rest of society had already dismissed them as. This first-hand experience gave Rev. Pickett the unique insight needed to write an impassioned statement on the realities of capital punishment in America. The result is a thought-provoking and compelling book that takes the reader inside the criminal mind, inside the execution chamber, and inside the heart of a remarkable man who shares his thoughts and observations not only about capital punishment, but about the dark world of prison society.
Do you ever start to read a book that looks interesting, and then after a few pages you realise you've read it? It's taken me four years to get around to reviewing this book. It says something for the writing that it stuck in my mind so clearly. It is a book on an usual subject and the writing is deceptively simple for a book so full of depth and that's why I remember it so clearly.
The author is an ordained pastor, but he scarcely mentions Christianity or any religion in the book thereby avoiding discussions of divine punishment, heaven and hell. These murderers were past redemption and on their way by gurney to the afterlife, or just after life.
Instead of such discussions, it's a perspective on prison inmates, mostly the murderers who ended up on death row in Texas, with their crimes detailed but from the point of view of one ministering to them rather than judging them. It was interesting to see how he continually needed to reiterate why he felt so strongly about being the last friend and comforter on earth to these men when he was opposed to the death penalty, although he doesn't reveal that until the end.
Within These Walls is a fascinating glimpse into the world of death row through the eyes of a prison chaplain.
The book is more than just a collection of stories of various prisoners' final hours spent with Rev. Carroll Pickett who ministers to them, offers to read scripture, helps them place final phone calls and arrange visits with families and loved ones, and - finally - accompany them into the death chamber.
At the heart of the work is Pickett's belief that no person should die alone, and his mission is to do whatever he can to make a frightening procedure bearable. The reverend's own conflict about the validity of an eye for an eye justice is but one of the book's underlying concerns.
Unanswerable questions abound: How many innocent men did he see executed? How could a clearly mentally limited prisoner who spent his final hours with a coloring book and crayons be deemed eligible for execution, regardless of his crimes? How can a Christian minister participate in the process of taking a life?
This is an extremely touching book that provokes much thought and debate.
BOOK REVIEW: Within These Walls Memoirs of a Death House Chaplain by Rev. Carroll Pickett
This book is about the ministy of the Rev. Carroll Pickett, Death House Chaplain for fifteen years at the prison in Huntsville, Texas. He shares his own journey in ministry and of how he had reservations about the death penalty when he began but then after several executions he came to understand that the death penalty was morally wrong. He saw the damage done to guards, wardens, families, and the inmates. Pickett pointed out that the murder rate rose with the rate of executions in Texas, that it left families of the victims in pain and dire straights.
Through the years I have worked with guards on death row at San Quentin, I know several sentence to death. For me I see the damage the death penalty does to individuals, and that it sets society up to be a legalized murderer.
I know several young men in prison now for murder, both killed a man, who was a sexual predator at 18. They both did it out of fear,anger, and they are serving twenty five years to life. They both were lucky--one was convicted in a state without the death penalty and the other in San Francisco where they do not seek the death penatly. They deserve to be punished, but they do not deserve to die. They both are struggling and are sorry for what happened, and both are growing in prison.
Pickett's book puts a face on the death penalty. Deo Gratias! Thanks be to God!
The author was a chaplain for 15 years at the Huntsville, TX prison. One of his duties was attending to prisoners who were about to be executed, and this book is mostly about that.
For writing, editing, and organization, I'd give the book five stars. It held my interest, and I agree with the author's stance against capital punishment: why do we kill people to show that killing people is wrong? As for his constant questioning of whether he should do the job of counseling, or just sitting with and providing a bit of comfort to inmates about to die, or whether doing that was condoning the wrongness of killing them, I wouldn't presume to judge.
But he lost my sympathy in several areas. During his tenure, extensive prison reform measures were put into place, and he didn't like that at all. He thought it was just fine to have an inmate in each area who was in charge of making some decisions, including beating up inmates who got out of line. He thought it was a shame that they could no longer force inmates to work in the fields in the hot sun; he thought they enjoyed it and it was good for them. (He mentions dismissively that it had been referred to as the closest thing to slavery in, I think, the US at the time.) He also bemoans the fact that the prison was forced to hire real doctors and nurses rather than use skilled inmates. Really??? He hated that all those measures cost money, which yes, it costs a lot to run a prison.
The way he writes it, the prison administration and personnel were lovely people, fair and accommodating. The only exception he mentioned was one guard who sold drugs to inmates. Maybe everyone was on best behavior when they were around the chaplain, but I simply don't believe it. He also acts as if he was color blind. Maybe he treated inmates of all ethnicities with the same respect. But a quick Google shows some nasty racism at that prison during the author's time there (and before and since). And he ignores the disproportionate application of the death penalty to black people.
I do like that he gives some thought to rehabilitation versus retribution. And I can agree with him that some of the men he describes were menaces to society and never should be released. The men he counseled during the last hours of their lives were a mixed bag. Obviously, none of them were great guys, but some were reasonable human beings, some were so impaired that they didn't belong there are all, and some were just plain scary.
A memoir by Reverend Carroll Pickett, a former Presbyterian minister and a former Texas prison chaplain about his experiences working with the death row population in Texas. Reverend Pickett was drawn into the occupation by a prison siege led by a prisoner seeking to escape prison, while holding several people hostage, including at least two of his parishioners. After the conclusion of the siege, the warden of the prison asked him to come to work at the prison and eventually asked him to help with the executions as Texas re-started their executions in the 1980's following the Supreme Court decisions.
He writes candidly about his work on death row, helping prisoners in the final days of their lives. He also writes about the things that troubled him, including the possibility of innocent people being executed, and the execution of men who were intellectually disabled, and the cognitive dissonance he experienced when having to explain execution to men who were using crayons and coloring books and looking forward to seeing Santa Claus.
This was an interesting book that really makes you think about why we really need a death penalty in the first place. He does talk some about his Christian beliefs but he doesn't beat you about the head with them either. This is a great book to read if you want to open a discussion with someone. I am giving it 5 stars and I highly recommend it to anyone.
There are many books written on the death penalty and I have long been interested in the various views and opinions on this matter. This issue is, of course, controversial. I am strongly opposed to capital punishment but I am very sympathetic to the victims of horrendous crimes and especially to the families of those victims. I can't imagine the pain that would last a lifetime from such a tragedy. If it happened to me, I am not sure I wouldn't want to see the perpetrator executed. However, that is not the point really, we need to look at this from a big picture point of view and in that regard, it is always illustrative to hear from people directly involved in the process and Pickett is about as close as one can come. The fact that he typically spent hours with the condemned means he may even be closer than the executioners themselves.
Therefore his opinion carries weight, at least in my estimation. It would be easy to dismiss him as a liberal or a man of God and therefore we could expect him to be anti death penalty. However his thoughts are well explained and well thought out and address the classic arguments for the death penalty i.e. the issue of deterrence (pretty clear from the statistics that this is fallacious) and also, perhaps more importantly, the issue of "closure". I am sure that some families of victims do find that closure by seeing the murderer executed, but more often than not, that doesn't seem to be the case. I haven't seen studies on this, but Pickett questions this and again, his opinion is valuable as he has been so close to this process.
The book itself is not written as a argument solely for abolition. It is written much more as a personal memoir in the context of being a prison chaplain in the state with the highest rate of executions in the US. As such it is a fascinating, if somewhat personal examination of life in prison and how he interacted with inmates, including those condemned to die. It is the interactions with those facing death that are the most compelling, but every story is very interesting and gives us a window into a world we rarely, or never see. This is why these books are fascinating.
Ultimately, it seems to me that CP was trying to show us that world and at least encourage us to look beneath the surface of the death penalty issue. Without knowing the personal side to the process, it is easy to just say things like "an eye for an eye" or "it deters crime". I think it behooves us to think more deeply about this issue. CP suggests that capital punishment is basically revenge and that's what it seems to be to me. The state grinds on with what is ostensibly a humane process but when you life the curtain, it is anything but. I know the argument: "He got a much easier death that that he meted out to his victims" and there is no doubt that is true, but we need to look at the broader question of why we still adhere to this punishment. What is it doing for us as a society?
I know a lot of people will disagree with me and I do understand our visceral response to repulsive crimes, but this book is worth reading for it's caring, perceptive insight into crime, prisons in general and capital punishment in particular. Well written and compelling.
Really intruiging view of a death house, because it's from the chaplains point of view it instills some sympathy in you for the men condemmed to death but it also keeps reminding you of why they were there in the first place. A honest and compassionate view of how things run in the final hours before someone is put to death and the chaplain is a truely remarkable man in so much as the peace he brought to the people he saw and how little he judged them and what he did not only for the condemmed but also for the prison itself! I've read it over and again and it's brilliant!
An apology for assisting with over 48 executions in the Texas correctional system, despite feeling that "morally and spiritually" executions were wrong. I stuck with him until he started talking about how great it was to have prison health services (doctors and nurses) staffed by inmates, some of whom had never been licensed. The rest would have lost their licenses when convicted, most likely (I am not sure about Texas law). While finding quality health care professionals to work in prisons is always a problem, I don't believe trustee MDs and RNs are the answer.
Carroll Pickett talks about his role as a chaplain to death row inmates. I don’t think the author knows it, but he describes how vicarious trauma impacted him and his family and ultimately resulted in his resignation from his position. A great read for any helping professional, especially chaplains.
I hate that it took me so many years to finally pick this book up off my bookshelf. Living in Huntsville, TX for seven years (during my college career and a few years after) This book ofc caught my eye. I bought this at the prison museum when I lived there and was always so interested in the death penalty and death row process since I lived right down the road and always saw inmates around town working. This book was a glimpse into the TDCJ system, its employees, and inmates. It’s all told through the perspective of a death chaplain which is very unique! This book is one that provokes lots of thoughts and emotions regardless is one’s stance on the death penalty. This book was heavy and I found myself crying and feeling so conflicted. It was very honest, raw, and truly such a great book that covers even all the way up to inmates last moments up until their last breath. I highly recommend this book if you’re interested in a very unique perspective of the death penalty and death row in Texas. I know that this is going to be a controversial topic, but it’s a very good book. VERY VERY GOOD. I never lost interest in.
While I appreciated the great writing and insight into this chaplain's life, I am so upset by how poor Pickett's theology is. All the liberal talking points against the death penalty, while including: man as basically good, sociological deterministic explanations for criminals (while talking about certain criminals like they are simply victims), and a total lack of true gospel witness. Never mind the fact that the author essentially blew past Romans 13 and directly contradicted that Paul calls the state an agent of vengeance. Yet another chaplain who isn't actually interested in accurately representing Christianity.
This is a tough read. Not only is it a sad first-hand account of the continual issues of the judicial system, but it brings up moral questions that one must discover for oneself. This is an old, unresolved story...but the author, who is not a particularly likeable character, adds his personal experience and biases which adds to the story. Overall, a worthwhile read especially for advocates for prison reform. We must do better as a species.
Emotional, chilling, and educational. From a former student of Sam Houston State University, which is just a stones throw away from the execution chamber, this book brought on many emotional and memories. Chaplain Pickett provides stunning detail on his work as a prison chaplain and ultimately the death house chaplain. Must read.
pretty much what the title says, as far as what it is about.. it's well written and certainly gives us an in depth look into the inner workings of death row in a prison in texas.. i found the personal stories of the condemned interesting.. i read it without taking a stance on the death penalty..
This book made me take a hard look at my stance as pro death penalty. It was amazing insight into these people we forget about and how lives are effected and maybe how some were not right for this punishment. It is a must read!
Rev. Carroll Pickett served as the Chaplain at Huntsville State Prison in Texas from 1969 to 1995. Although his duties extended well beyond being the Chaplain assigned to inmates as they await execution, he oversaw over 95 executions during that time. As a Presbyterian (the church opposes the death penalty) and a man who opposes the death penalty, this memoir gives an in-depth account of the difficulties in offering comfort and solace to those set to die - some who were guilty and unrepentant, those who were deeply repentant, those he believes were innocent, and others who were too mentally deficient to understand what was happening to them. Although many of the accounts range from justice served to heart wrenching, this book is primarily thought provoking. Pickett offers strong opinions on many facets of the prison system (especially the "reforms" that took place in the 1980s), but I never felt preached too. He offers his view as a first hand account and allows readers to make up their own minds...hard to do in a book with such heavy subject matter. This book is best read in conjunction (either before or after reading it) with the documentary titled At the Death House Door which chronicles many of the events in this biography but expands on what Pickett has done after retirement from the prison system.
This book is about a Reverend who works in a prison in Texas. It is mainly about his role as a comfort to those arriving on the death row last night/day unit. A death row prisoner arrives and is placed in their cell and the Reverend offers comfort to them, listens and allows them to ask for forgiveness if they wish. He has seen some evil people pass through and some potentially innocent people put to death too. This book opens anyones eyes to death row. If you support capital punishment then you should read this book. Its quite touching in places especially with people you suspect are innocent. Some people clearly made a mistake when they were younger and can do nothing but wait to die. I have been through terrible experiences I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy. This applies to dying. I can only imagine how frightening it must feel to led to that room to die and I wouldn't wish that fear on anyone either. The Reverend describes seeing heir fear once on the table waiting for lethal injection. He has a tough job and describes it in a compassionate manner. Really interesting read!
This was a very interesting read and I'm glad that he finally spoke out about the ridiculous court decisions that are making our prisons more of holding farms than rehabilitation centers. It seems more than apparent that the death penalty is not curtailing violence and though I am not necessarily strongly opposed to it, I am horrified to hear that so many mentally challenge or young adults are being sentanced to die. Not even mentioning thoes who await death and are innocent. I praise him for all the work that he has done in working with these individuals and hope with all my heart that we come up with a better way to keep prisioners from returning so quickly.
I have read many excellent books on capital punishment and this one is right up there. It was compassionate, even-handed, and compelling. This was the story of a prison chaplin to ministered to men on their last day on Earth. I have to think that each story like this that comes out slowly chips away at the death penalty. It solves nothing, it only brings hurt and resentment to another family. Worthwhile read.
It doesn't matter whether you are for or against capital punishment. If you are interested in the topic you MUST read this excellent book. The author is a Christian reverend who was chaplain at the Huntington Prison's death row. He comforted those who were sentenced to death in their last moments, and gives insider perspectives of how capital punishment is in practice. I tend to be for capital punishment, but this book definitely made me reconsider my convictions.
A thought provoking and sincere account of a personal experience. Rev Pickett clearly demonstrates the futility of the death penalty, and shows love and compassion to all humanity. I've never supported the death penalty and this book reaffirmed my position, whilst opening my mind and heart to those condemned to death. Whatever your stance on the death penalty, I would recommend reading this book and questioning your stance as you read.
This is a thoughtful book and not quite what I'd expected. Yes, he does tell of death row inmates being executed but more importantly he tells how he, as a man of faith, dealt with this and conditions in the prison. I have to admire his compassion and conviction.
A moving account of a death row chaplain as he struggles to offer a pastoral presence to those about to die and a probing examination of whether this is truly what a just society looks like. 3.3 Martinie glasses