Hugo Adam Bedau is Austin Fletcher Professor of Philosophy at Tufts University.

This volume is to some extent a handbook; but it is also more than that. The new essays are well worth reading./ Prof Nigel Walker, Institute of Criminology, Cambridge / New Law Journal, 26/02/99

1. 1/5

   Vague and ambiguous

   In my opinion, heinous criminal acts must be severely punished. Crimes such as culpable homicide, rape and child molestation deserve the harshest punishment. It is of crucial importance that the punishment fits the crime. The judicial system in Sweden is highly ineffective for several reasons. Prisons in Sweden have frequently been likened to hotels. Thus it is preposterous to assume that these modern and sophisticated prisons manage to deter people from committing criminal acts. A criminal has to fear incarceration, otherwise the judicial system is purposeless and superfluous. Bedau states in his book that the application of capital punishment is inhumane and cruel. What he fails to mention is the immense suffering of the victims of violent criminals. In sum, the author provides weak and insufficient arguments against the death penalty.

   Alan

   20 november 2002