Capital Punishment

Examines both the legal and illegal uses of the death penalty in American history. This book is concerned with the long-term trends in the use of capital punishment in the United States, and in areas that would become part of the United States, from the colonial period onward.

Wright examines whether waits for executions impact the deterrent value of capital punishment. She also seeks to determine whether race has a role in producing or inhibiting deterrence. She asks whether blacks and whites are equally responsive to how quickly executions are carried out, as well as, whether the effect of celerity varies with the race of the executed.

What are the critical factors that determine whether a country replaces, retains or restores the death penalty? Why do some countries maintain the death penalty in theory but in reality rarely invoke it?