Capital Punishment and British Politics

First published in 1962, Capital Punishment and British Politics illuminates the process of political decision-making in Britain by analysing the complex activities that led to the passage of a major piece of social legislation, the Homicide Act of 1957. His case study, based on dozens of interviews, reveals in detail the workings of British politics and assesses the impact of the clash of ideas and interests on governmental policy. After surveying the legal and historical antecedents of the controversy surrounding the Act, the author traces the development from the abortive attempt to abolish the death penalty under the Labour Government through the spectacular murder cases of the early fifties to the compromise legislation successfully launched by a Conservative Government. Throughout the book analysis is coupled with description, and the concluding chapter demonstrates how this single case contained in microcosm many of the basic elements and dilemmas of the British political process. This fascinating study will be of great interest to students of politics and social legislation everywhere.