The two most important questions about the death penalty in the United States today are should we get rid of it and will we get rid of it? While he contributors to this important and interesting new book are unanimous that capital punishment should be abolished, opinions differ on whether abolition is likely to occur in the US any time soon, and if so, how.

If one wants to gain a deeper understanding of the effort to eliminate capital punishment in the U.S. over the last forty years, and what the future holds for this harsh feature of American exceptionalism, this stimulating book is the place to look. (The oddity of the U.S. stance on capital punishment is underscored in Bernard Harcourt’s summary of factors that increase the likelihood that a country will retain capital punishment: (1) lower economic development; (2) lower political voice and accountability; (3) lower political stability; (4) dominated by religions other than Christianity; (5) located in the Middle East, Asia, or the Caribbean regions; and (6) a recent history of extrajudicial killings. (p.81) What is the U.S. doing in this club?)