A fascinating study of how the routine rituals and practices of execution gave the death penalty its meaning and contributed to its demise in Canada.

It is easy to forget that the death penalty was an accepted aspect of Canadian culture and criminal justice from Confederation until 1976. The Practice of Execution in Canada is not about what led some to the gallows and others to escape it. Rather, it examines how the routine rituals and practices of education can be seen as a crucial social institution.

Drawing on hundreds of case files, Ken Leyton-Brown shows that from trial to interment, the practice of execution was constrained by law and tradition.Despite this, however, the institution was not rigid. Criticism and reform pushed executions out of the public eye, and in so doing, stripped them of meaningful ritual and made them more vulnerable to criticism. Comprehensive and absorbing, this groundbreaking study is for anyone who wants a deeper understanding of contemporary debates on capital punishment.

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It is difficult to find any major faults with this study, which is a welcome addition to Canadian legal history.

"This study of executions in Canada is morbidly fascinating—literally. In calm, clear, well-written prose, Leyton-Brown looks at several hundred Canadian executions and presents details about enough of them to make a good story ... anyone who reads this dispassionate book will have difficulty concluding that execution can ever be justified. Summing Up: Highly recommended." - CHOICE, Vol 48, No 3

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Ken Leyton-Brown has tackled an enormously important piece of research and The Practice of Execution in Canada will, without a doubt, serve as an important reference. Everyone who opposes, and also those who favour the death penalty should read it.