ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the diverse and multifaceted impacts of the death sentence on the children of the accused. It raises awareness of some of the issues facing the child. The chapter considers and elaborates on each of these issues in as much detail as the current literature permits, highlighting directions for future study. It considers how far the repercussions extend out into communities, over generations and beyond the children immediately impacted by the loss of a parent. The chapter draws on limited anecdotal evidence: the opinions of people working with the children of long-term prisoners or those sentenced to death, short videos taken with hand-held cameras and posted online, newspaper articles and reports. It suggests that some quantitative research is also required in order to seriously address the needs of the neglected population. The chapter shows that children's exposure to violence can predict attitudes justifying their own use of violence.
