The Deserving: What the Lives of the Condemned Reveal About American Justice

by Elizabeth Vartkessian, Sister Helen Prejean (Foreword)

A groundbreaking new take on the American justice system from one of its unknown “mercy workers,” offering a powerful new vision of responsibility, punishment, and repair.

“We need the work that is mitigation. It is mercy work.” —Sister Helen Prejean

Elizabeth Vartkessian works with criminal defense teams as a mitigation specialist. She isn’t part of the Innocence Project; her clients are often legally guilty, and often of terrible crimes. Rather, her job is to spend hundreds of hours per case talking to the parents, siblings, teachers, and neighbors of a defendant, situating their crimes in context.

Founder and director of nonprofit mitigation team Advancing Real Change Inc., Vartkessian weaves powerful, gripping stories from her extraordinary career into an inspiring argument for dignity in American justice. Her unique experience has taught her that when personal or generational trauma enters the body, it finds its way out eventually, sometimes through violence. She contends that we cannot hold her clients solely responsible for their actions, nor can we continue to stomach harsh penalties that deny real justice to perpetrators and victims alike.

Amid the Trump administration’s record-high executions and calls to expand the use of the death penalty after decades of progress, The Deserving is required reading for a dangerous new era of rollbacks. Vartkessian offers a compelling, hope-filled vision of true rehabilitation replacing retribution.

Genres: Nonfiction, Crime, History

288 pages, Hardcover

Expected publication January 20, 2026

Reviews

[Mali · Rating 4 out of 5]

“rather than asking what punishment someone deserved, such an impossible question to extract from our own cultural biases. Why not ask ‘what would it take to return this person successfully to the community?’”

[Ashley V · Rating 5 out of 5]

I studied health promotion in college and most of my classes related to my major talked about health disparities, like no access to affordable fresh foods, drug use, access to education, and their impact on public health. This book describes another natural conclusion to those disparities. I don’t want to say that I “enjoyed” this book because the concepts and realities it details are heartbreaking and should not exist, but the way that it was written did not sugar coat anything and yet was so completely human and filled with love for humanity. It’s really hard to have hope when it’s so clear that the systems have been created for such horrors not just to occur but to support more horrors for the profit of the few, but Elizabeth and people like her doing the difficult work AND ALSO taking the additional time and effort to share those stories give me so much hope. Thank you for the work that you do and for sharing these stories and observations.

(And also thanks to libro.fm, Elizabeth Vartkessian, and Bloomsbury publishing for the ALC)

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to the publisher for an ARC to review.

I’m not sure what I expected from this. Sometimes I find criminal justice books to be very preachy. They can get bogged down in lingo. The author rises above this and provides something that is more than readable - it’s impossible to stop reading. Elizabeth Vartkessian makes her arguments for criminal justice reform by simply letting people’s stories speak for themselves. And these stories speak volumes. The reader finds themselves moving through many emotions - anger, hope, frustration, and optimism. But this is part of our messy lives of being human, right? Every person is complicated. Ultimately, though, we fight the ills of society and criminal justice in America through connection. It’s a simple conclusion from a book that demonstrates nothing is simple.

[Sandra Danielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This true account shares powerful stories that challenge us to consider rehabilitation instead of retribution. Elizabeth Vartkessian does a fantastic job sharing heartbreaking stories in a way that makes the importance of her mission unmistakable. I really learned a lot from this book. As a mitigation expert striving for meaningful reform in the American legal system, Vartkessian is a powerful advocate for dignity and genuine rehabilitation. Her deep love for people shines through every story and makes for an unforgettable read.

[Clara · Rating 4 out of 5]

this is an interesting look at the justice system and the author focuses a lot on the lives of the perpetrators that may have led to the crime but very little on the victims. I am not one that likes the death penalty, and I agree we need preventative solutions but I don't like the waving away of the horrors they committed.

[Barb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very important book.