About the author: Dr. Hale received his PhD from Mississippi State University. He is currently Assistant Professor of Sociology and Criminal Justice at Southeastern Louisiana State University."These papers provide an honest appraisal of mainly Mesopotamian parallels with the Bible without forcing the issue but allowing the texts to speak for themselves. In all, this is a useful collection of studies." -- Wilfrid G. Watson in The Catholic Biblical Quarterly
1997 0-7734-8547-3 The review begins in 1642, when the first juvenile was executed by the Massachusetts Bay Colony, and culminates in 1957, with the last (to date) execution. A total of 331 juveniles are included in the study. A socio-historical analysis of specific periods in history provides an explanation for the type of juvenile that was executed during the period. Characteristics of interests are the juvenile's age, race, and gender, in addition to the total number of juveniles executed during the given period. The social, political, and legal atmospheres of the era are reviewed to determine what, if any, effect these had on influencing the administration of capital punishment. Particular attention is given to the fifty years immediately following the Civil War, as juvenile executions reached unprecedented high numbers.