ABSTRACT
As well as considering the justifications for the death penalty that revolve around addressing the needs of victims in homicide cases, this chapter focuses on the impact the death penalty can have on other people involved in its administration and implementation. Our major contention remains that the death penalty, whilst purporting to help victims’ families achieve ‘justice’ on behalf of the deceased, in fact creates secondary victimisation and additional victims, including the families of the condemned, the execution team, and other prison staff. Far from usefully addressing the aftermath of homicide for victims’ families, 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.
