Humana Festival '97: The Complete Plays Book

One of the quickest reads to date lately! I have always been fascinated with prison and crime and certainly death row. Here in the uk I have worked in the police and prison service, obviously it differs massively to that of the USA and its justice system.

I have always been open minded on prisoners and while educated enough by life itself to know they can often be some of the most manipulative humans on earth, they are not all the same much as those not in prison! Each person has a story no matter their living circumstance and this book is an example of stories that while do not justify violence sometimes explain how murders occurred and in other ways show those with little understanding that those in prison are not all evil! There's so much more to prison and all that it is than just 'bad' humans as some people like to think!

This is one of the most thought provoking books I have ever read and it did reduce me to tears. I always thought I was on the fence with the death penalty and never sure which way I swayed on opinion, but the more I read and learn the more I think perhaps I sway towards not agreeing with it. I mean what does it solve? Nothing! And how can it be ok for one human to pick and chose when another dies? That is surely giving a human the go ahead to act as 'god'? (Although god isn't someone I believe in myself but you get my meaning!)

I do not see what is to be gained for anyone by treating any living being in a cruel torturous manner? I certainly wouldn't get anything from doing that. I certainly see many floors in the system that in this modern day age surely need addressing? I've never been one to rant on about race, to me a human is a human and that's all there is to it. However given the emphasis on race in America and the history of the slave era etc, I think it needs to be imperative if the death penalty remains that a mixture of races are ALWAYS on the jury! It cannot possibly be a fair trial any other way!