Jon B. Gould

Capital Defense by Jon B Gould and Maya Pagni Barak is an eye-opening book about the defense attorneys who concentrate on capital cases. This is a perspective that few of us have thought about, even those of us who feel strongly about the subject of capital punishment.

This book is very well researched and discusses the legal profession, and legal maneuverings, in some detail. Having said that, I was very impressed with how well they kept the writing accessible to those of us without law degrees. The latter part of the introduction even includes a primer on the Capital Defense Process. This covers the basics of who can bring charges, how the sentence is determined, and, maybe most important, how it is not determined. This alone will probably answer some questions readers might not have even known they had.

Like any profession, the reasons for practicing criminal law, especially capital cases, are varied but do have some common motivations. Prestige is certainly part of it for many but not nearly as much as what the common perception of lawyers might indicate. Far more are at least as interested in doing what they believe to be right. From a basic opposition to the death penalty to the racial and class disparities in the "justice" system to simply upholding the basic tenets of the foundation of our legal system, namely that everyone is entitled to a rigorous defense.

The toll that taking these cases has on them is steep. They know every action or inaction on their part might be the difference between life and death for their client. Many of these attorneys suffer silently because they know that the cases aren't about them, so they just keep plugging away.

I would recommend this to anyone interested in the topic of capital punishment, whether an activist trying to get people to realize there is NO positive to the government murdering people or a neanderthal that thinks murder is okay when done by who they like. I would also recommend this to anyone considering a field of law in which to practice, this will let you go in with your eyes open, or help you decide to choose another type of law. Either way, a positive thing for your career.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.… (more)