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The Machinery of Death: A Shocking Indictment of Capital Punishment in the United States
An International perspective on a US violation of human rights. Here are first person accounts of the injustices inherent in the US capital punishment system: prosecutorial misconduct, inadequate investigation, incompetent counsel, perjured testimony, withheld exculpatory evidence, racial discrimination, and more. This moving work is based upon riveting testimony delivered at Amnesty's ICM Commission of Inquiry into the Death Penalty.
216 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1995
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January 31, 2023
This book was gifted to my by T. Brad Kent, back when we were in the dorm together. It's a pretty well constructed book about the death penalty in the US circa the mid-1990s.
The book is a collection of essays from interested parties, most of whom are attorneys, some of whom are US-based and some from other jurisdictions. The essays are taken from an Amnesty International conference. We have the views of prosecutors, prisoners, and advocates of all stripes. It is an excellent primer, but the essays are so short that the reader doesn't feel much depth after it is all said and done.
It is a well-documented brief on the issue, but I did feel like I was wanting a little more than what I was getting from these short pieces. I am already in agreement with the general sentiment that the death penalty is unfair, racist, arbitrary, and immoral. These essays argued in favor of these positions but lacked the strong rhetorical or moral basis that made me think beyond my existing biases.
This is a fine place to start and well-argued but I have the sense that it's preaching to the choir. Still, not much has changed in the US in terms of the death penalty since its publication, so it is as relevant now as it was back when it was first published. This should be a relatively easy win for social justice, but it's clear we still have work to do.
The book is a collection of essays from interested parties, most of whom are attorneys, some of whom are US-based and some from other jurisdictions. The essays are taken from an Amnesty International conference. We have the views of prosecutors, prisoners, and advocates of all stripes. It is an excellent primer, but the essays are so short that the reader doesn't feel much depth after it is all said and done.
It is a well-documented brief on the issue, but I did feel like I was wanting a little more than what I was getting from these short pieces. I am already in agreement with the general sentiment that the death penalty is unfair, racist, arbitrary, and immoral. These essays argued in favor of these positions but lacked the strong rhetorical or moral basis that made me think beyond my existing biases.
This is a fine place to start and well-argued but I have the sense that it's preaching to the choir. Still, not much has changed in the US in terms of the death penalty since its publication, so it is as relevant now as it was back when it was first published. This should be a relatively easy win for social justice, but it's clear we still have work to do.
Displaying 1 of 1 review