In the Shadow of Death Restorative Justice and Death Row Families

The press called Martin's actions a "crime spree." Terrified that his son would be sentenced to die, Martin's father Phillip committed suicide; ironically, the jury, moved by this desperate act, spared Martin's life. Phillip's story, like those of the other parents, siblings, children, and cousins chronicled here, vividly illustrates the precarious position occupied by capital offenders' families. Living in the shadow of death, they are crushed by trauma, grief, and helplessness. In this penetrating account of guilt and innocence, shame and triumph, devastating loss and ultimate redemption, their voices add a new dimension to the debate about capital punishment. These narratives are woven together by restorative justice theory, which holds offenders accountable while searching for ways to mend the communities and lives torn apart by their crimes and integrating offenders' families into the process of promoting justice and healing. What emerges from myriad in-depth interviews with offenders' and victims' families, legal teams, and leaders in the abolition and restorative justice movements is a vision of justice rooted in the social fabric of communities, showing that forgiveness and recovery are possible even after terrible crimes. While holding victims' stories sacred, this eye-opening book bridges the pain of living in the shadow of death with the possibility of a reparative form of justice. Anyone working with victims, offenders, and their families - from lawyers and social workers to mediators and activists - will find it indispensable to their efforts.

Foreword by Steve Earle. Introduction. Part One: The Shadow of Death. Chapter 1:. Why do Offender's Family Matter?. Chapter 2:. Understanding Restorative Justice. Chapter 3:. Meet the Families. Part Two: Storytelling. Chapter 4:. Death Penalty Trials. Chapter 5:. "You Didn't Punish Him, You Punished Me". Chapter 6:. Children of the Condemned. Chapter 7:. Psychological Distress of Family Members, and Family Systems. Part Three: Restorative Justice. Chapter 8:. "Life is Different": Living with Outcomes other than the Death Sentence. Chapter 9. Organizing the Abolition. Chapter 10:. Reaching Out. Chapter 11: Systems Failure. Chapter 12:. Shining Light in the Shadows. Afterword.

Elizabeth Beck is Associate Professor of Social Work, Georgia State University. Sarah Britto is Associate Professor of Law and Justice, Central Washington University. Arlene Andrews is Professor of Social Work and Director of the Institute for Families in Society, University of South Carolina.