I recently finished reading The Autobiography of an Execution by Texas death penalty lawyer David R. Dow and I would highly recommend it, despite it’s deeply depressing nature.  David Dow has worked for years defending death row inmates in the state that has the greatest affinity for killing them, with an execution rate 4 times that any other state.  I’m sure this fact was recently brought to your attention by the Republican presidential debates.  Unfortunately for Dow (and as it seems, all death penalty lawyers in Texas), he has worked on hundreds of cases and hardly ever saves his clients lives.  The book briefly covers many cases, but focuses on one: that of Henry Quaker (a pseudonym to retain lawyer-client confidentiality), a man convicted of the murder of his wife and children who everyone knows to be innocent.  Unfortunately, Quaker had an incompetent trial lawyer who did absolutely nothing to defend him and he was effortlessly sent to death row.  As Quaker’s execution date approaches, Dow and his team of lawyers works tirelessly to exploit every possible legal avenue to save Quaker and prove his innocence.  However, they run into countless roadblocks in the American legal system that make it nearly impossible to do their job.  This book is not only a sobering account of the death penalty in the U.S., but also a testimony to how messed up the American legal system can be.  One of the most interesting passages of Dow’s book speaks of how the American legal system was founded upon a lack of accountability and responsibility.  A juror can hide among the jury, a judge can hide behind the jury, a supreme court judge can hide behind the other six, etc.  He argues that sentencing a man to death is much easier when each person can pass the blame to another.

The book is fascinating and hard to put down because Quaker’s case reads like a legal thriller.  Dow also includes many endearing stories of his personal life, his wife and his son.  Be prepared for a healthy dose of lawyer hero-complex, though, but what can you expect from someone who tirelessly and hopelessly fights for what seems to be a lost cause?  In spite of his ego, I give Dow a lot of credit– I could never work in a profession where I constantly lost and watched my clients die.

I am still adamantly opposed to the death penalty, but the number one thing I took away from this book is that I do not want Rick Perry as president in 2012.  If you’re on the fence about either issue, I strongly suggest reading this book.