ABSTRACT
Introduction This chapter examines the issue of why we kill in the context o f capital punishment. In particular, it will look at justifications for the death penalty that revolve around addressing the needs of victims in homicide cases. O ur major contention is that the death penalty, whilst purporting to help victims’ families to achieve justice’ on behalf o f the deceased, and ‘closure’ for themselves after the trauma of homicide, in fact creates a form o f ‘secondary victimisation’4 (Goodey 2005:157) and further victims, including the families o f the condemned. Far from usefully addressing the aftermath of homicide for victims’ families, this chapter argues that the death penalty and its processes, from the initial prosecution to the end of the lengthy appeals process, reproduce and widen the scope of victimisation.
