A Life and Death Decision
A Jury Weighs the Death Penalty
Scott E. Sundby
- A
- gripping
- exploration
- of
- a
- jury's
- members'
- perspectives
- on
- the
- most
- wrenching
- decision:
- the
- death
- sentenceWith
- a
- life
- in
- the
- balance,
- a
- jury
- convicts
- a
- man
- of
- murder
- and
- now
- has
- to
- decide
- whether
- he
- should
- be
- put
- to
- death.
- Twelve
- people
- now
- face
- a
- momentous
- choice.Bringing
- drama
- to
- life,
- A
- Life
- and
- Death
- Decision
- gives
- unique
- insight
- into
- how
- a
- jury
- deliberates.
- We
- feel
- the
- passions,
- anger,
- and
- despair
- as
- the
- jurors
- grapple
- with
- legal,
- moral,
- and
- personal
- dilemmas.
- The
- jurors'
- voices
- are
- compelling.
- From
- the
- idealist
- to
- the
- "holdout,"
- the
- individual
- stories—of
- how
- and
- why
- they
- voted
- for
- life
- or
- death—drive
- the
- narrative.
- The
- reader
- is
- right
- there
- siding
- with
- one
- or
- another
- juror
- in
- this
- riveting
- read.From
- movies
- to
- novels
- to
- television,
- juries
- fascinate.
- Focusing
- on
- a
- single
- case,
- Sundby
- sheds
- light
- on
- broader
- issues,
- including
- the
- roles
- of
- race,
- class,
- and
- gender
- in
- the
- justice
- system.
- With
- death
- penalty
- cases
- consistently
- in
- the
- news,
- this
- is
- an
- important
- window
- on
- how
- real
- jurors
- deliberate
- about
- a
- pressing
- national issue.
