Adam Thurshwell, a respected academic and death penalty lawyer, draws upon Continental theory and the Anglo-American jurisprudential tradition in order to deliver a critical survey of both the theoretical aspects of capital punishment and its actual administration. Pursuing an original political approach rather than taking a moral stance, his discussion compares the topics of sovereignty, power and legitimacy with moral desert or consequentialism and explores their impact on perceptions and practices of capital punishment. Covering micro-issues of legal doctrine and administrative practice, as well as arguments for and against abolition, this book is an invaluable resource for academics and students in law and political theory.