The profiles details the crimes, the life circumstances that contributed to the capital offenses, the experiences of the families of the condemned men and women, and issues related to capital punishment. The individuals profiled include Joseph Carl Shaw, a military police officer who had schizophrenia and attempted to medicate himself with illegal drugs and then committed two murders after being turned away from a mental health clinic. A court-appointed attorney advised him to plead guilty; the judge sentenced him to death. Judy Haney was convicted of killing a man who had abused her and her children. The attorney who represented her appeared in court so drunk that the presiding judge sent him to jail; the judge later appointed the same attorney to handle Haney’s appeal. The other individuals include Donald Wayne Thomas, Michael Cervi, Jimmy Lee Horton, and Larry Heath. The introduction by Stephen Bright examines developments related to appellate court review of death sentences, and states the author's reasons for urging the abolition of capital punishment.