{"title":"Social Science - Capital Punishment","description":"","products":[{"product_id":"the-death-row-cookbook-the-famous-last-meals-with-recipes-of-death-row-inmates-9781629177519","title":"The Death Row Cookbook: The Famous Last Meals (with Recipes) of Death Row Inmates","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe last meals of death row convicts fascinate us because they offer an insight into a disturbed mind shortly before its owner's death. The last meal is a way for the system to offer a last-minute nod to humanity--that although these murderers, rapists, and villains listed inside may have performed inhuman acts, they are still indeed human.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e The irony of feeding a criminal before killing them by electrocution or lethal injection is not missed on many of the inmates, as we shall see from some of their choices. Controversial and fascinating, the last meals of the condemned will continue to make headlines as long as the death penalty exists.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e This book contains both a brief history of the chefs who make the meals and the stories behind the last meals of over two dozen famous death row inmates (recipes are also included, of course).\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e John Fleury\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Minute Help, Inc.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 02\/27\/2019\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 174\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.46lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.50h x 5.50w x 0.37d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781629177519\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eThis title is not returnable\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"booksdeli.com","offers":[{"title":"John Fleury \/ Paperback \/ English","offer_id":47284948140189,"sku":"9781629177519","price":39.97,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0619\/5648\/9373\/files\/img_c6bcfd19-0ff4-4a89-8b4b-5ef4f95711f0.jpg?v=1759997392"},{"product_id":"too-close-to-the-flame-with-the-condemned-inside-the-southern-killing-machine-9781637632918","title":"Too Close to the Flame: With the Condemned Inside the Southern Killing Machine","description":"\u003cb\u003eJoe Ingle's \u003ci\u003eToo Close to the Flame\u003c\/i\u003e is a heartbreakingly beautiful account of over four decades serving as a spiritual counselor, guide, and friend to the men and women on Death Row. \u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ci\u003e\"I had been working with the condemned since 1975--but never before had an execution affected me with this much power and confusion.\"\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Throughout his forty-five years visiting death rows across the American South, Joe Ingle has learned, loved, and suffered intensely. In \u003ci\u003eToo Close to the Flame\u003c\/i\u003e, Ingle describes how the events of 2018-2020 finally exposed the deep wounds inflicted on his psyche by nearly half a century of enduring the state-sanctioned murder of friend after friend. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e As an advocate for the men and women condemned to death by an unjust legal system that routinely victimizes the marginalized, Ingle has often found himself waiting through the darkest hours as the spiritual advisor and sole companion of those on deathwatch--the brief period of isolation that precedes an execution. In vivid detail and startling candor, Ingle describes every moment with the expertise of a scholar and the affection of a brother. Through Ingle's eyes, we are invited into the inner sanctum during desperate attempts at clemency, intimate final hours, and the mourning that follows a night on deathwatch. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Part psychological memoir, part history of Southern state killing since the reinstatement of the death penalty in 1976, \u003ci\u003eToo Close to the Flame\u003c\/i\u003e is above all a catalogue of love--a gallery of relationships that could only be forged between people staring death in the face together. It is an account of the price of radical Christian love, a record of service to the least among us, and a testament to the full humanity of those whom the powers that be would seek to dehumanize and exterminate.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Joseph B. Ingle\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Forefront Books\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 05\/07\/2024\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 480\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.40lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.10h x 6.30w x 1.70d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781637632918\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eJoe Ingle, a North Carolina native, left the South after college and moved to East Harlem to join the E. Harlem Urban Year program. He spent his senior year at Union Theological Seminary visiting prisoners at the Bronx House of Detention. Prior to that experience, his initial time with prisoners, he was a typical white guy from the South. When he returned to the South, he was a changed man. Living in Nashville, TN, he began working against mass incarceration and the death penalty with the Southern Coalition on Jails and Prisons which he helped create. This led him to visit every Southern death row and create a web of relationships with the women and men imprisoned there. Working to save their lives led him to meetings in governor's offices, legislatures, courtrooms, churches, synagogues, bishop and archbishop offices. And it led him into the homes of the families of the condemned and victims. Realizing many of the condemned had no lawyers, he along with three colleagues, created a law project--The Southern Center for Human Rights--to represent them. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Although the death penalty is an issue, for Ingle it is primarily about people caught in the killing machinery. It is where he has devoted his adult life. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e He resides in rural Nashville, Scottsboro, where the residents are dedicated to farming organically and preserving the environment. He and his wife Becca raise blueberries with some 200 bushes in the field.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"booksdeli.com","offers":[{"title":"Joseph B. Ingle \/ Hardcover \/ English","offer_id":47287744626845,"sku":"9781637632918","price":48.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0619\/5648\/9373\/files\/img_2c034658-d758-4a98-aa6c-752d39e0c279.jpg?v=1760047276"},{"product_id":"dismantling-the-death-penalty-research-based-answers-to-the-essential-questions-9780197515556","title":"Dismantling the Death Penalty: Research-Based Answers to the Essential Questions","description":"\u003cem\u003eDismantling the Death Penalty\u003c\/em\u003e is a succinct, accessible, and lively overview of research on the costs and consequences of capital punishment. Professor Costanzo uses diverse sources of information--including closing arguments from murder trials; interviews with jurors; statistical analyses of murder rates; survey data; and quotes from defendants, politicians, and the families of victims--to understand the effects and effectiveness of the death penalty. Each chapter answers an essential question: How do juries decide who is sentenced to death? Do executions deter potential murderers? Does the public support the death penalty? Is it \"cruel and unusual\"? Is it cheaper than life imprisonment? How serious are errors and biases in the system? Is the death penalty morally justified? Although the emphasis is on social scientific research, this comprehensive analysis also places the practice of killing murderers in historical, political, and moral context. The opening chapter chronicles the long, bloody history of executions and changes in how, when, and why we kill criminals. The closing chapter evaluates the politics and future of capital punishment, as well as alternatives to execution.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Mark Costanzo\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Oxford University Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 01\/31\/2025\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 200\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.66lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.28h x 6.15w x 0.48d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780197515556\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReview Citation(s): \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eChoice\u003c\/i\u003e 10\/01\/2025\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMark Costanzo\u003c\/strong\u003e, Ph.D. is Professor of Psychological Science at Claremont McKenna College, Co-Director of the Center for Applied Psychological Research, and a member of the Plenary Faculty at Claremont Graduate University. He has published research on a variety of law-related topics including police interrogations, false confessions, jury decision-making, sexual harassment, attorney argumentation, alternative dispute resolution, and the death penalty. Professor Costanzo is co-author of the leading textbook on Psychology and Law - \u003cem\u003eForensic and Legal Psychology\u003c\/em\u003e (4th edition). He is also author of the books \u003cem\u003ePsychology Applied to Law\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eJust Revenge\u003c\/em\u003e. He is co-editor of several books, including \u003cem\u003eViolence and the Law\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eExpert Psychological Testimony for the Courts\u003c\/em\u003e. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eProfessor Costanzo has also served as a consultant or expert witness for more than 400 criminal cases involving coerced and potentially false confessions. This consulting includes cases in state, federal, and military courts. Professor Costanzo has received \u003cem\u003eOutstanding Teaching and Mentoring Awards\u003c\/em\u003e from the American Psychology-Law Society, the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues, the Western Psychological Association, and the Society for the Teaching of Psychology. He is currently serving as President of the Western Psychological Association.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"booksdeli.com","offers":[{"title":"Mark Costanzo \/ Paperback \/ English","offer_id":47503212675229,"sku":"9780197515556","price":79.17,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0619\/5648\/9373\/files\/img_4080c5be-0caf-4984-9d3f-87ad1d435c1d.jpg?v=1766551529"},{"product_id":"the-deserving-what-the-lives-of-the-condemned-reveal-about-american-justice-9781639731398","title":"The Deserving: What the Lives of the Condemned Reveal about American Justice","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA groundbreaking new take on the American justice system from one of its unknown revolutionaries, offering a powerful new vision of responsibility, punishment, and repair.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"The first book I'm aware of to pull back the curtain on a life-saving field most have never heard of: mitigation.\" --Sister Helen Prejean, author of \u003ci\u003eDead Man Walking\u003c\/i\u003e, from the foreword\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eElizabeth Vartkessian works with criminal defense teams as a mitigation specialist. She isn't part of the Innocence Project; her clients are often legally guilty, and often of terrible crimes. Rather, her job is to spend hundreds of hours per case talking to the parents, siblings, teachers, and neighbors of a defendant, situating their crimes in context. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eFounder and director of nonprofit mitigation team Advancing Real Change Inc., Vartkessian weaves powerful, gripping stories from her extraordinary career into an inspiring argument for dignity in American justice. Her unique experience has taught her that when personal or generational trauma enters the body, it finds its way out eventually, sometimes through violence. She contends that we cannot hold her clients solely responsible for their actions, nor can we continue to stomach harsh penalties that deny real justice to perpetrators and victims alike. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eAmid the Trump administration's record-high executions and calls to expand the use of the death penalty after decades of progress, \u003ci\u003eThe Deserving\u003c\/i\u003e is required reading for a dangerous new era of rollbacks. Vartkessian offers a compelling, hope-filled vision of true rehabilitation replacing retribution.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Elizabeth Vartkessian\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Bloomsbury Publishing\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 01\/20\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 288\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.06lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.47h x 6.42w x 1.07d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781639731398\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMitigation specialist \u003cb\u003eElizabeth Vartkessian\u003c\/b\u003e has been investigating the life histories of those facing the most severe penalties possible in the United States since 2004. She holds a PhD in law and an MS in comparative social policy from Oxford, and BAs in philosophy and political science from George Washington University. She is the founder and director of Advancing Real Change Inc., a national nonprofit dedicated to conducting life history investigations in criminal cases. She lives in Baltimore.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"booksdeli.com","offers":[{"title":"Elizabeth Vartkessian \/ Hardcover \/ English","offer_id":47598638071965,"sku":"9781639731398","price":47.34,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0619\/5648\/9373\/files\/img_3805da7b-28d2-466c-b53a-aea959891b99.jpg?v=1769517020"},{"product_id":"the-science-of-second-chances-a-revolution-in-criminal-justice-9781250886286","title":"The Science of Second Chances: A Revolution in Criminal Justice","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eFreakonomics\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e for criminal justice\u003ci\u003e, The Science of Second Chances\u003c\/i\u003e presents a groundbreaking approach to criminal justice reform, revealing how small-scale interventions can reduce people's chances of reoffending and break the incarceration cycle.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eWhen criminal justice expert Jennifer Doleac thinks about reform, she's not just hopeful, she's optimistic that second chances are possible--for the justice-involved population and the system as a whole. In \u003ci\u003eThe Science of Second Chances\u003c\/i\u003e, she reveals her powerful approach to reducing crime and incarceration. Drawing on cutting-edge economic research and real-world experiments, the book presents a blueprint for reform that runs all the way through the system. Doleac shows how economists like herself approach big, complicated problems as if they were scientists in a lab, carefully testing different approaches and following the data to maximize impact. She explains how shifting the incentives people face can produce dramatic changes in the decisions they make, significantly reducing the number of people cycling through the prison system. From DNA databases that increase the likelihood of catching reoffenders to leniency programs for first-time defendants, she reveals a series of surprising interventions that actually work, along with cautionary tales about great ideas that never panned out. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eDoleac doesn't have a \"burn it all down\" mentality but seeks to empower readers with practical, achievable solutions. She demonstrates that we can have both public safety and a smaller, less intrusive justice system--without waiting for big, structural reforms that might never come. By shifting focus from the enormity of the problem to the power of small, evidence-based changes, she offers a transformative approach to prosecution and punishment. \u003ci\u003eThe Science of Second Chances\u003c\/i\u003e is essential reading for anyone seeking data-driven strategies to revolutionize the criminal justice system and create the society we want and need.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Jennifer Doleac\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Henry Holt \u0026amp; Company\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 02\/24\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 304\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.07lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.40h x 6.60w x 1.08d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781250886286\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReview Citation(s): \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e 03\/01\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e 12\/01\/2025\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eLibrary Journal\u003c\/i\u003e 01\/01\/2026 pg. 66\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eJennifer Doleac\u003c\/b\u003e is the Executive Vice President of Criminal Justice at Arnold Ventures, a philanthropy focused on evidence-based policy. Before that, she spent over a decade as an economics professor, conducting academic research. She is a leading expert on the economics of crime and discrimination, and a vocal proponent of using rigorous research to inform policy. She frequently writes for outlets including \u003ci\u003eThe Washington Post\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eTIME\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eBloomberg Opinion, \u003c\/i\u003e and she hosts the \u003ci\u003eProbable Causation\u003c\/i\u003e podcast on law, economics, and crime. Doleac holds a Ph.D. in Economics from Stanford University and lives in Houston, Texas.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"booksdeli.com","offers":[{"title":"Jennifer Doleac \/ Hardcover \/ English","offer_id":47699066421405,"sku":"9781250886286","price":47.34,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0619\/5648\/9373\/files\/img_30c6a409-35a0-4519-bbd6-559b02865c25.jpg?v=1772697431"},{"product_id":"catch-the-devil-a-true-story-of-murder-deception-and-injustice-on-the-gulf-coast-9780593230862","title":"Catch the Devil: A True Story of Murder, Deception, and Injustice on the Gulf Coast","description":"\u003cb\u003eThe riveting, true story of an audacious con man who helped send another man to death row for a murder he did not commit \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"Incendiary, emotionally devastating. [This] is a feat of dogged reporting, bravura storytelling, and clear-eyed moral conscience.\"\u003cbr\u003e--Patrick Radden Keefe, author of \u003ci\u003eSay Nothing\u003c\/i\u003e and\u003ci\u003e London Falling\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eFor more than three decades, Paul Skalnik roamed the Gulf Coast lying about who he was. He passed himself off as a fighter pilot, a high-rolling oilman, a criminal defense attorney, an undercover agent, and a terminal cancer patient. In these guises he married nine women--some at the same time. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eWhen Skalnik got caught, as he invariably did, he would run a different con. Locked up with other men awaiting trial, he claimed they confessed their crimes to him. Then he peddled those stories to prosecutors. In Pinellas County, Florida, he became a frequent witness for the state, thinking nothing of exaggerating men's wrongdoing or implicating the innocent to help prosecutors win convictions. In return, the state rewarded him with his freedom, fueling his growing sense of invincibility. Soon he was not just committing fraud; he was preying on girls in their teens or barely into adolescence. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn 1985, Jim Dailey, a down-on-his-luck Vietnam veteran, was implicated in the murder of a fourteen-year-old girl and landed in the Pinellas County Jail with Skalnik. No forensic evidence or motive linked Dailey to the killing, but Skalnik's account of his \"confession\" helped put Dailey on death row. Skalnik, meanwhile, walked free. More than three decades later, after another man took responsibility for the killing, Pamela Colloff, reporting for the \u003ci\u003eNew York Times Magazine\u003c\/i\u003e and ProPublica, visited Skalnik and asked him if he would recant his testimony. He refused. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eBy then, Skalnik had caused untold damage: to the women and girls he exploited, to the dozens of men he helped imprison, and to Jim Dailey, who went on to receive an execution date. In this mesmerizing debut, Pamela Colloff spins a dark tale of a remorseless and brilliant liar made lethal by a system more concerned with winning convictions than finding the truth.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Pamela Colloff\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Knopf Publishing Group\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 07\/14\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 320\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.05lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.30h x 5.70w x 1.30d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780593230862\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReview Citation(s): \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e 03\/15\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e 05\/04\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eShelf Awareness\u003c\/i\u003e 01\/01\/0001\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePAMELA COLLOFF is a reporter at ProPublica and a staff writer at \u003ci\u003eThe New York Times Magazine\u003c\/i\u003e. She was the recipient of a National Magazine Award for Reporting in 2020 and for Feature Writing in 2013. Her work has been anthologized in \u003ci\u003eThe Best American Magazine Writing, The Best American Crime Reporting, \u003c\/i\u003eand\u003ci\u003e Next Wave: America's New Generation of Great Literary Journalists\u003c\/i\u003e. Colloff holds a bachelor's degree in English from Brown University. She lives in Austin, Texas, with her husband and their two children.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"booksdeli.com","offers":[{"title":"Pamela Colloff \/ Hardcover \/ English","offer_id":48685064290461,"sku":"9780593230862","price":38.4,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0619\/5648\/9373\/files\/img_4bf99a09-e8f9-48a2-b8de-c7599490b079.jpg?v=1784713643"},{"product_id":"catch-the-devil-a-true-story-of-murder-deception-and-injustice-on-the-gulf-coast-9798217346998","title":"Catch the Devil: A True Story of Murder, Deception, and Injustice on the Gulf Coast","description":"\u003cb\u003eThe gripping true story of a serial con man and the innocent man he sent to death row by award-winning \u003ci\u003eNew York Times Magazine \u003c\/i\u003ewriter Pamela Colloff\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eFor more than three decades, Paul Skalnik roamed the Gulf Coast lying about who he was. He passed himself off as a fighter pilot, a high-rolling oilman, a criminal defense attorney, an undercover agent, and a terminal cancer patient. In these guises he married nine women--some at the same time. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eWhen Skalnik got caught, as he invariably did, he would run a different con. Locked up with other men awaiting trial, he claimed they confessed their crimes to him. Then he peddled those stories to prosecutors. In Pinellas County, Florida, he became a frequent witness for the state, thinking nothing of exaggerating men's wrongdoing or implicating the innocent to help prosecutors win convictions. In return, the state rewarded him with his freedom, fueling his growing sense of invincibility. Soon he was not just committing fraud; he was preying on girls in their teens or barely into adolescence. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn 1985, Jim Dailey, a down-on-his-luck Vietnam veteran, was implicated in the murder of a fourteen-year-old girl and landed in the Pinellas County Jail with Skalnik. No forensic evidence or motive linked Dailey to the killing, but Skalnik's account of his \"confession\" helped put Dailey on death row. Skalnik, meanwhile, walked free. More than three decades later, after another man took responsibility for the killing, Pamela Colloff, reporting for the \u003ci\u003eNew York Times Magazine\u003c\/i\u003e and ProPublica, visited Skalnik and asked him if he would recant his testimony. He refused. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eBy then, Skalnik had caused untold damage: to the women and girls he exploited, to the dozens of men he helped imprison, and to Jim Dailey, who went on to receive an execution date. In this mesmerizing debut, Pamela Colloff spins a dark tale of a remorseless and brilliant liar made lethal by a system more concerned with winning convictions than finding the truth.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Pamela Colloff\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Random House Large Print Publishing\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 07\/14\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 432\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.90lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.10h x 6.10w x 1.00d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9798217346998\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePAMELA COLLOFF\u003c\/b\u003e is a reporter at ProPublica and a staff writer at the \u003ci\u003eNew York Times Magazine\u003c\/i\u003e. She was the recipient of a National Magazine Award for Reporting in 2020 and for Feature Writing in 2013. Her work has been anthologized in \u003ci\u003eBest American Magazine Writing\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eBest American Crime Reporting\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eNext Wave: America's New Generation of Great Literary Journalists\u003c\/i\u003e. Colloff holds a bachelor's degree in English from Brown University. She lives in Austin, Texas, with her husband and their two children.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"booksdeli.com","offers":[{"title":"Pamela Colloff \/ Paperback \/ English","offer_id":48685064323229,"sku":"9798217346998","price":40.8,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0619\/5648\/9373\/files\/img_1ce44bda-330e-4b8b-aead-d9a455d80ab4.jpg?v=1784713643"}],"url":"https:\/\/booksdeli.com\/collections\/social-science-capital-punishment.oembed","provider":"booksdeli.com","version":"1.0","type":"link"}