Capital Punishment and the American Agenda

Zimring's work is superb and this book, published in the 1980s has some staying power. Frank makes some interesting predictions, the one most prominent right now is his statement that capital punishment would not be abolished because of racism or the conviction of innocents. He was right. It took a major recession to convince lawmakers in New Mexico that something needed to be done. A sad comment on Americans I think. As for Zimring himself, he remains the sort of guy one admires from a distance. He is ill-tempered, rude, and as confrontational as his book is brilliant.