Death & Justice: An Expose of Oklahoma's Death Row Machine

I'll begin by saying that I am and have always been a firm believer in the death penalty. That being said, I will admit that during and after reading the book I feel that Mark made a good argument against it. You just need to read the book and judge for yourself. Personally, I feel that with the forensic science that we have in place today including the very important DNA, there is much less chance of convicting a nonguilty person of a crime that includes the death penalty. There is always that chance that we end up convicting a person that is not guilty ( I hesitate to use the word innocent) but then there is also the chance that we find not guilty the person/s that are and they are released to comment more killings, rape, etc.The book is well written, interesting and a bit detailed. However, if you are welling to hang in there through the detail I feel that most will enjoy it if at all interested in true crime.

Mark Fuhrman is a master at True Crime Books. I had never heard of these cases before. Fuhrman examines a high % of people put to Death in Oklahoma in one County by 1 DA and with most of the forensic evidence verified by 1 or 2 females. Because of either bias or incompetence Joyce Gilchrist made false and/or misleading statements that led to Guilty verdicts in Death Penalty Cases in Oklahoma County (Oklahoma City.) Fortunately some of the verdicts were overturned. Prior to reading this boos I (as was Fuhrman) was a strong supporter of the Death Penalty. These cases changed Fuhrman's mind. There is one great quote in the book, to paraphrase " since Humans make mistakes there has to be a way to correct the mistakes". (Obviously if a person is put to death the mistake can not be corrected.)

As I watched the trial in 1995 I was completely dumbstruck when I saw how Mark Fuhrman was treated just to take the focus off of a "Legend" (more like a legend in his own mind). Law Enforcement lost a good investigator when he got canned for the perjury charge, which was contrived, to say the least. Mark puts forth a persuasive argument against the death penalty, but as a Christian I understand that murder is a sin and the Bible says that we are to obey the law of the land, and that law is that murder is against the law.My only complaint against the death penalty is when an innocent man is condemned to die or is executed.

I was pleased to learn that the well-known author has now become an advocate for abolishing the death penalty. His investigation into justice as meted out in Oklahoma City led him to this conclusion. He appears to have a particular prejudice but overall he has written a fair assessment of how justice does not prevail when foxes are in charge of the henhouse.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Mark is so incredibly knowledgable thatit is almost like a one on one discussion. Everytime I thought I had a questionhe answered it in the next few words or for sure with a page or two. I mistakenly always thoughtit was the defense attorneys that were a 'little funny' and word and fact twisters. Now I have to take another look at it thanks to this book. Can't wait to read another of Mark's books.

Interesting in an abstract sort of way. If you've followed various cases of the wrongly convicted you won't find much new here, except perhaps that Mark Fuhrman finally wakes up to discover there are a lot of crooked police and prosecutors, particularly in Oklahoma... but maybe that's because where he spent most of his time looking.

Compelling, and Frightening! Mark Fuhrman is a gifted writer. The book immediately pulls you in, and really never let's go of you. His experience as a professional investigator and detective is obvious, as he walks you through the frightening Oklahoma City justice system. As an Oklahoma City native, I found myself fascinated and horrified by some of the revelations of this book.

Wow--this book discusses the death penalty in Oklahoma. I have not finished it yet. I am about half way through. It is a great book and very hard to put down. I think everyone should read this book because it opens your eyes to what can and does happen.