Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Rethinking "Closure"

Speaking of closure (as we did in Monday's post), our fall newsletter is out, and it's a special issue focusing on the whole idea of closure in the aftermath of a murder -- questioning whether the death penalty provides it for victims' families, but also questioning the concept itself.

The issue contains an interview with law professor Susan Bandes, who talks about how recently the linkage between closure and the death penalty became popular. The issue also contains reflections from victims' family members about what closure means -- or doesn't mean -- to them, and an essay in which a victim's family member explores the taboo against talking about murder and describes what she wanted from others in the aftermath of the murder in her family. You'll also find our usual features, including some snapshots of MVFHR's recent work and a roundup of examples of victim opposition to the death penalty in the news.

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