NCJ Number
181156
Date Published
1995
Length
253 pages
Annotation
This book presents the content of the author's interviews with 16 American murderers and five persons who had loved ones murdered.
Abstract
The interviews involved four released male murderers and three released female murderers; seven imprisoned male murderers and two imprisoned female murderers; and five persons victimized by murders of loved ones. The criteria for being interviewed included having had a life sentence for murder, agreeing that the "guilty" verdict was correct, and agreeing to have several hours of a tape-recorded conversation with the author. The interviews with the four released men and the three released women review the evolution of their outlooks on life and the events that led to their killing a person, along with the effects of prison and what their lives have been like since release from prison. Interviews with the murderers in prison review the conditions of their upbringing, their participation in criminal careers, the events of the murders for which they were imprisoned, their adjustment to prison life, and their hopes and expectations for the future. The five people victimized by the murders of loved ones talk about their experience.