In the Shadow of Death Restorative Justice and Death Row Families

by Beck, Elizabeth; Britto, Sarah; Andrews, Arlene

• ISBN13: 9780195179415
• ISBN10: 0195179412
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2007-02-08
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

The press called Martin's actions a "crime spree." Already convicted of armed robbery, Martin was facing the death penalty. In less than two weeks the jury would decide his fate. Terrified that his son would be sentenced to die, Phillip did the only thing he felt he could do: in an act offaith and desperation in his garage with the car exhaust running, Phillip made the consummate sacrifice to spare his son the ultimate punishment. Ironically, his suicide presented Martin's with another chance at life; the jury, moved by Martin's loss, spared his life. Phillip's story-like those of the other parents, siblings, children, and cousins chronicled in this book-vividly illustrates the precarious position family members of capital offenders occupy in the criminal justice system. At once outsiders and victims, they live in the shadow of death, crushedby trauma, grief, and helplessness. In this penetrating account of guilt and innocence, shame and triumph, devastating loss and ultimate redemption, the voices of these family members add a new dimension to debates about capital punishment and how communities can prevent and address crime. Restorative justice theory, which views violent crime as an extreme violation of relationships; searches for ways to hold offenders accountable; and meets the needs of victims and communities torn apart by the crime, organizes these narratives and integrates offenders' families into the process oftransforming conflict and promoting justice and healing for all. What emerges from hundreds of hours' worth of in-depth interviews with family members of offenders and victims, legal teams, and leaders in the abolition and restorative justice movements is a vision of justice strongly rooted in thesocial fabric of communities. Showing that forgiveness and recovery are possible in the wake of even the most heinous crimes, while holding victims' stories sacred, this eye-opening book bridges the pain of living in the shadow of death with the possibility of a reparative form of justice. Anyone working with victims, offenders, and their families-from lawyers and social workers to mediators and activists-will find this riveting work indispensable to their efforts.

Author Biography

Arlene Andrews is Professor in the University of South Carolina's College of Social Work and Director of the Institute for Families in Society.

Table of Contents

Foreword	p. vii
Note to Readers	p. xvii
Shadow of Death
Why Do Offenders' Families Matter?	p. 3
Understanding Restorative Justice	p. 12
Meet the Families	p. 27
Storytelling
Death Penalty Trials	p. 51
"You Didn't Punish Him, You Punished Me"	p. 74
Children of the Condemned	p. 92
Psychological Distress	p. 114
Restorative Justice
Life Is Different	p. 139
Organizing for Abolition	p. 157
Reaching Out	p. 177
Systems Failure	p. 197
Shining Light in the Shadows	p. 221
Afterword	p. 236
Methods for Gathering Information about Offenders' Families	p. 239
Process of a Death Penalty Trial	p. 249
Notes	p. 257
Bibliography	p. 283
Index	p. 295
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