The Death Penalty in China

No institution in the legal system of contemporary China has attracted more controversy and misunderstanding than the death penalty. Moreover, remarkable changes have significantly altered the way the death penalty is perceived and applied in the world's most populous state. The Death Penalty in China is required reading for anyone desiring to keep abreast of China's evolving legal landscape, criminal justice reform, and perplexing human rights environment. Highly recommended. -- Andrew Scobell, coauthor of China's Search for Security This excellent collection of essays should be greatly welcomed, providing as it does insights into the way that Chinese scholars, both within and outside China, as well as foreign scholars who have studied the Chinese system in depth, explain the changes underway and assess their significance. The Death Penalty in China needs to be read by everyone concerned with the project of eliminating capital punishment throughout the world. -- from the foreword by Roger Hood, emeritus professor of criminology, University of Oxford This outstanding book describes proficiently what is known and knowable about the death penalty in transition in China today. The cooperation between excellent Chinese scholars and world-renowned scholars from abroad secures relevance and accuracy. Debates and practices are captured in light of Chinese death penalty history, the special character of the Chinese state, as well as in comparison to other Chinas of the present. -- Lill Scherdin, project leader, Universities Against the Death Penalty A timely assessment of China's death penalty reform in context, this volume is a must read for academics and activists. Choice