Review: The History of Capital Punishment
| Date | 01 July 1951 |
| Published date | 01 July 1951 |
| DOI | 10.1177/002201835101500313 |
| Subject Matter | Review |
328 THE JOURNAL OF CRIMINAL LAW
Reviews
LEGAL
AID
by
ERIC
SACHS,
K.C. Eyre &Spottiswoode, London.
36s.
Od.
net.
There can be little doubt
that
Mr. Sach's book on legal aid
will
become
the
standard
text
book on
the
subject. His personal connection
with
the
present scheme of legal aid since its inception gives
the
book a
degree of authority which enhances its value. Here
will
be found every-
thing connected with
the
Legal Aid and Advice Act, 1949, with historical
notes which
put
its provisions in a true perspective.
It
is
not
an over-
statement to
state
that
everything
that
can be written about
the
Act is
included, although
the
reader would probably
add
certain criticisms
made by
the
High Court since
the
book was written. Of particular
interest to readers of this journal are
the
sections on legal aid in criminal
proceedings. Here
the
author has had
the
assistance of
the
learned
editor of Stone's Justices' Manual
and
the
full effect of
the
Act of 1949
on
the
Poor Prisoners Defence Act, 1930, is given, although
it
is
not
yet
in force.
Useful appendices simplify
the
reading of
the
Acts, and give forms
prescribed by Rules or approved by
the
Law Society.
The book has a comprehensive index and
will
be welcomed by
the
Bench as well as
the
profession.
THE
mSTORY
OF
CAPITAL
PUNISHMENT,
by
GltORGlt
RYLltY
SCOTT,
Torchstream Books. London. 21s. Od., net.
Books on capital punishment can
attract
or repel
the
reader accord-
ing to the manner of presentation of
the
subject matter. Those who
enjoy descriptions and illustrations of
the
gruesome methods of carrying
out
the
death penalty which were in vogue in other days and lands will
find much in this book to their taste. Others
may
question the necessity
for including this detail in a book which, despite its main title, is largely
devoted to an examination of
the
case for and against
the
death penalty.
Mr. Ryley Scott has assembled a great deal of evidence
and
very con-
vincingly reaches
the
conclusion
that
capital punishment is wrong and
should be supplanted by a sentence of life imprisonment.
It
will
be
interesting to compare his findings with those of
the
Royal Commission
when its report is published.
There are several well produced plates and a comprehensive index,
and
the
book can be recommended as a serious contribution to
the
literature of this subject.
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