 | Geometrical Justice: The Death Penalty in America Subjects: Law; Mathematics & Statistics; Politics & International Relations; Social Sciences; Criminal Law & Practice; Criminology - Law; Legal Theory; Socio-Legal Studies; Criminology and Criminal Justice; Jurisprudence & General Issues; Advanced Mathematics; Public Administration & Management; Regulatory Policy; Sociology & Social Policy; Criminal Justice - Criminology; Punishment and Penalty; Theoretical Criminology; Jurisprudence & Philosophy of Law; Socio-Legal Studies - Public Policy; Geometry; Public Policy; Social Policy; Social Policy; Social Theory; Criminal Justice; Theories of Crime; Sentencing and Punishment; Criminology and Law; Legal decisions continue to mystify: why was this person sentenced to 20 years in prison, but that person to just 10 years for the same crime? Why did one person sue for civil damages, but another let the matter drop? Legal rules are supposed to answer these questions, but their answers are radically incomplete. Wouldn't it be wonderful to have a theory that predicted and explained legal decisions? Drawing on Donald Black's theoretical ideas, Geometrical Justice: The Death Penalty in America addresses these issues, focusing specifi cally on who is sentenced to death and executed in the United States. The book explains why some murders are more serious than others and how the social characteristics of defendants, victims, and jurors aff ect case outcomes. Building on the most rigorous data in the field, the authors reveal wide discrepancies in capital punishment - why one person lives, but another person dies. Geometrical Justice will be of interest to those engaged in criminal justice, criminology, and socio- legal studies, as well as students taking courses on sentencing, corrections, and capital punishment. Scott Phillips is the author of highly acclaimed crime novels. His debut novel, The Ice Harvest, was a New York Times Notable Book of the Year and won the California Book Award, a Silver Medal for Best First Fiction, and was a finalist for the Edgar Awards, the Hammett Prize and the Anthony Award. Its follow-up The Walkaway continued his success. His third novel, Cottonwood, is now out in paperback. Born in Wichita, Kansas, Scott lived for many years in Paris, and then in Southern California. He now lives in St. Louis with his wife and daughter. (Bowker Author Biography) |
