ABSTRACT
This chapter contends that the voices of victims are crucial in any discussion about the death penalty. It argues that the complexity of these voices must be recognized and heard, rather than presumptively assumed to be a universal cry for retribution through blood. The chapter establishes the moral basis for treating the surviving loved ones of a murder victim as voices worth hearing. It tells the story of the killing of family members of Jeanne Bishop, one of the co-authors: Nancy Bishop Langert, her husband, Richard Langert, and their unborn child. The chapter examines the over-broad use of victims' families by prosecutors and death penalty proponents to ensure support for death sentences. It discusses the ways the involvement of victims' families in the debate over whether to abolish the death penalty has transformed that discussion. Victims are transforming the death penalty debate from one primarily focused on the offender to one focused instead on the real needs of victims.
