The nice weather brings with it the opportunity for me to do some reading while the kids play in the yard. I just finished The Autobiography of an Execution by David R. Dow. Dow works for a non-profit organization that defends death row inmates in Texas, and he has fought for well over one hundred inmates. Texas is not exactly a great place to be fighting the death penalty, but Dow and his colleagues fight tooth and nail Texas style not only to save clients from death but also to reveal the injustices associated with killing prisoners.
Texas is well known for its use of the death penalty. Dow has seen first hand what most of us will never see: the inside of a death chamber. He witnessed Texas execute men who are textbook mentally retarded, men who are so mentally ill that they cannot possibly understand what is happening, and men who are innocent. Dow defends men who have in most cases never had anyone stand up for them, men who should've been taken from abusive homes as children. Dow does not defend the actions of his guilty clients and does not use their pasts as an excuse for murder; he merely points out that we need to face the hard truth that many murderers are the way they are because society turned its back on them and that a defendant's poverty and race are a huge factor in whether he will be executed.
The book gives fantastic insight into the ins and outs of death penalty litigation. It's also a very quick read, so if you have the extra time check it out from your local library.
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