Torture and the Execution Process

Reviews the book, Death Work: A Study of the Modern Execution Process by Robert Johnson (1990). Author has produced a powerful and unique attack on the death penalty in his book. Its rich imagery and sensitive analysis of the effects of death row and the death watch amply support his argument that "the modern execution process, which strips prisoner and executioner alike of their humanity, is an actual, and not merely a metaphorical, instance of torture. Since torture can never be just, the death penalty is rejected as an unjust punishment." This book is a valuable addition to a death penalty literature that is growing steadily in the sophistication of its arguments and its usefulness to the debate regarding the use of execution as punishment. The book's rich imagery, personal tone, and well-constructed arguments will make it an excellent supplemental text for courses on punishment, corrections, or psychology and the law. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)