Craig Haney, professor of psychology at the University of California, Santa Cruz, has just published a new book, Death By Design: Capital Punishment as a Social Psychological System (Oxford, England: Oxford University Press, 2005). Haney explores a number of areas that skew death penalty sentencing in America:

  • Jury selection—By systematically screening out opponents of capital punishment, the process produces unrepresentative juries and juries that include a high concentration of people who are more inclined to convict defendants.

  • Sentencing instructions—Numerous studies reveal that jurors do not understand the instructions they receive as they begin the sentencing phase of capital trials.

  • Cultural and media myths about crime—Print and broadcast news, as well as crime-based television dramas, exaggerate the rate of violent crime and demonize violent criminals.

The book also offers a number of suggestions for reforms through the improvement of education, jury instructions, and media coverage of the issues. (U.C. Santa Cruz Press Release, Sept. 26, 2005).