Document Type
Article
Publication Date
Fall 2017
Abstract
This article presents findings from ethnographic research in death penalty trials around the United States, focusing on the role of victims and their supporters. Victim impact testimony (VIT) in death penalty sentencing has received intense legal scrutiny during the past thirty years. The ruling jurisprudence allows VIT with the explanation that it deserves parity with testimony about the defendant's background. Drawing on observations and interviews with participants in 15 death penalty trials, I demonstrate that this framing confuses the central role of victim supporters in the courtroom. Victim supporters function as mourners, which grants them a socially elevated position in the courtroom. I argue that the consequences of the institutionalization of VIT can only be understood through this lens.
Identifier
10.1111/lsi.12246
Publisher
Cambridge University Press
Repository Citation
Kaufman, S. B. (2017). Mourners in the court: Victims in death penalty trials, through the lens of performance. Law & Social Inquiry, 42(4), 1155-1178. doi: 10.1111/lsi.12246
Publication Information
Law & Social Inquiry