Death Row Welcomes You: Visiting Hours in the Shadow of the Execution Chamber

by Steven Hale

"An eye-opening journey to a place that’s hard to access, rarely seen and shrouded by myths of monsters and abominations. ... Death Row Welcomes You demands that we not look away."- New York TimesIn the vein of Waiting for an Echo and Dead Man Walking, a deeply immersive look at justice in America, told through the interwoven lives of condemned prisoners and the men and women who come to visit them . . .In 2018, after nearly a decade’s hiatus, the state of Tennessee began executing death row inmates, bucking national trends that showed the death penalty in decline. In less than two years, the state put seven men to death, more than any other state but Texas in that time period. It was an execution spree unlike any seen in Tennessee since the 1940s, one only brought to a halt by a global pandemic.   Award-winning journalist Steven Hale was the leading reporter on these executions, covering them both locally for the Nashville Scene alt-weekly and nationally for The Appeal.In Death Row Welcomes You, Hale traces the lives of condemned prisoners at the Riverbend Maximum Security Institution—and the people who come to visit them. What brought them—the visitors and convicted murderers alike—to death row?The visitors are, for the most part, not activists—or at least they did not start out that way. Nor are they the sort of killer-obsessed death row groupies such settings sometimes attract. In fact, in most cases they are average people whose lives, not to mention their views on the death penalty, were turned upside down by a face-to-face meeting with a death row prisoner.Hale’s access to the people that make up that community afforded him a perspective that no other journalist has been granted, largely because Tennessee’s Department of Correction has all but shut off official media access.Combining topics that have long fascinated readers—crime, death, and life inside prison—Hale writes with humanity, empathy, and insight earned by befriending death row prisoners . . . and standing witness to their final moments.

Genres: Nonfiction, True Crime, Crime, History, Adult

287 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 26, 2024

About the author

Steven Hale is a criminal justice and public safety reporter for the Nashville Banner and the author of the book Death Row Welcomes You, which was published in March 2024. His work has also appeared at The Appeal and The Washington Post, as well as the Nashville Scene where he was a staff writer for 10 years. He lives in Nashville, Tennessee with his wife, two daughters, and a Bernedoodle.

Reviews

[Brendan (History Nerds United) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am whelmed. This book whelmed me.

Death Row Welcomes You by Steven Hale is the story of people who visit death row inmates and the inmates themselves. The death row in question is in Tennessee where Hale finds this unique group of people who meet with inmates and become long term friends. Many chapters contain the story of an inmate, his crimes, and, most importantly according to Hale and the other visitors, who the condemned man is now.

I think it's important to know what this book is not trying to be. It is not a polemic against the death penalty. Hale is absolutely opposed to the ultimate punishment and does not see the utility of it, but this is not a book whose sole focus is converting non-believers. I tried to put myself in the shoes of an ardent death penalty supporter and I don't know that this book would sway me at all. I don't think Hale is trying to convert them, though. I think he is aiming for the middle.

Hale wants people undecided (or just not paying attention) to read about men who seem to have changed. Hale does not shy away from the crimes, either. Each man's sins are laid out for the reader and more often than not, the inmate has confessed to the stated crimes. Hale himself even admits that if he were the father of one victim, he would want to seek vengeance. Importantly, Hale never faults the victim's families regardless of whether they agree with his worldview.

As a short aside, this book has the most abrupt ending of any book I have read. It was like the ending of the Sopranos where I wondered if I somehow didn't download the whole book to my kindle. (Note: I read an advanced copy so there may be some additions before publication.)

I started this review by saying I was whelmed. It sounds like a bad thing, but it's not. This book is well-written, it kept my interest, and I think it achieved its purpose of creating awareness even if it may not change many minds. However, Hale had a lot to work with and I feel he could have put a finer point on many things. For instance, many of the inmate's stories are told succinctly. Hale and his fellow visitors seem to have a lot more stories to tell. If you are interested in this topic at all, I do not think you will be disappointed and will quite like it. However, like me, I think you might also wish there was a bit more.

(This book was provided as an advance copy by Netgalley and Melville House Publishing.)

[Brice Karickhoff · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was an incredibly moving and well written account of the author’s relationships with a community of men on Tennessee’s death row and their friends, families, and lawyers.

I think this book read so well because the author did a great job of weaving together his experience of executions, the life stories of those on the row, his own story of building relationships with them, and the growth of a surrounding community. The book never dragged, but also never felt fragmented, and consequently it delivered its message quite well. I was generally opposed to capital punishment, and I am even more after reading this book.

I feel like every review I write includes a disclaimer that the book is a bit biased, and this is no exception. The author obviously paints men who have committed atrocious sins against humanity in a very charitable light. His aim is to properly acknowledge their worth and redemption, which is so important and valid, but the matter of justice is obviously more complex. The author is not unaware of this nuance and his own bias (he even acknowledges that he would desire the death penalty if his daughter were murdered), but the overall tone towards those with whom he disagrees is antagonistic or dismissive.

Nonetheless, this was a great read. The Sun Does Shine, Just Mercy, and this make up the holy triad of books on the brokenness of our criminal justice system and the redemption of individuals within it (offense intended toward The New Jim Crow).

[Christine Cazeneuve · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderfully written book that will make you really ask yourself how you truly feel about the death penalty. The author shows us the entire picture - who the condemned person was, his background/childhood, the alleged crime that took place (some admit to their crime and others held fast to their innocence), the victims, their families (both in and out of the prison) and those that came to visit and come to know them. Some of these crimes are so horrific but after reading their stories the author had convinced me that these men had truly changed. I am not a proponent of the death penalty but some of these cases took 30+ years before the executions took place and I do feel for the families. It is truly a profound book - read it! Thanks to Netgalley, the author and publishers for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

[Victoria · Rating 4 out of 5]

I learned alot about death row and what it means for people sentenced to death, the process, and differences in execution methods (lethal injection v. electric chair.)
I’m finding it hard to review this book, as it is leaving me feeling speechless.
There is alot to consider once you start thinking further about the content and the information related to specific inmates & associated crime victims.
Definitely eye-opening.

[Ellie Hudson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Devastating and incredibly profound. The author brought out the humanity of the individuals on Tennessee’s death row and reminded me that people will always find community even in the darkest places. Everyone should read this book

[Carolyn Feltus-atkinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would say at the start that I oppose the death penalty for moral reasons and this book only strengthened that position. The author walks a tightrope between being sympathetic toward the victims and their families while presenting the crimes, while horrific with no punches pulled, as being the worst days in perhaps an otherwise decent man’s life. It was a very hard thing to balance but he did an excellent job. The writing flowed well and his observations about prison and the legal system were interesting to me as were his observations about his own motivations and emotions in relation to volunteering to be a witness and befriending men on Death Row. I certainly hope our country comes to its senses and eliminates this barbaric practice. Maybe this book will get us a step closer.

[Julie Trapp · Rating 3 out of 5]

In 2018, after nearly a decade’s hiatus, the state of Tennessee began executing death row inmates, bucking national trends that showed the death penalty in decline. In less than two years, the state put seven men to death, more than any other state but Texas in that time period. It was an execution spree unlike any seen in Tennessee since the 1940s, one only brought to a halt by a global pandemic.
In Death Row Welcomes You, Hale traces the lives of condemned prisoners at the Riverbend Maximum Security Institution—and the people who come to visit them. What brought them—the visitors and convicted murderers alike—to death row? Hale writes with humanity, empathy, and insight earned by befriending death row prisoners . . . and standing witness to their final moments.[amazon synopsis]

The author is not pro-death penalty - especially after being a witness to both the electric chair and lethal injection. However, he does not write to convince the reader either way. He gets to know some of the death row inmates, is privy to their crimes/upbringing/thoughts, and is making readers aware of what death row inmates lives are like - if the reader was wondering or cared. I'm wondering if he would feel the same about these criminals if his wife or daughters were a victim on one of these horrendous crimes.

[Paige Hettinger · Rating 4 out of 5]

FULL REVIEW ON SUBSTACK

i fell into a mental trap with the title of this book that i imagine many could, where i assumed that “death row welcomes you” was a reference to the state, a kind of “the state will send you here with ease” declaration. in actuality, it is saying something far more immediate and plain: death row welcomes you. those who sit on it welcome you into their lives and fold, their lived-in community, and ask you to know them, whole. they do, genuinely, welcome you. with open arms, gratitude, and grace.

my position on the death penalty was something i had an “i’ll get around to that later” mentality about for too long. by no means was i sitting pretty and silently supporting it, but i had learning to do. i like to be able to stand by my opinions, in case you somehow never noticed that about me, and i just “didn’t have one” yet. that is not comfortable to admit, but i have to.

when i watched john oliver’s really brilliant segment on the absolute horror that is lethal injection, i became staunchly opposed to it. it is cruel and unusual punishment. and i think on what i learned then often, talk openly about it. i support prison abolition and a razing of our current systems, but this remains, for all, an overlooked component of our country’s penal system. as this book asks: if all executions were halted entirely, would anyone really notice? how much attention are we paying in the first place? just how uncomfortable are we? would i have noticed in a meaningful way?

i would now. i can’t properly articulate how much this text moved me.

an intimate, inside look at the state of tennessee when it went on an execution spree, steven hale walks you through the experiences he had with death row. inmates’ stories and fates, and the toll that all of this takes on every single person involved, whether that be those who await their execution date, the people who visit with inmates and become their friends, the reporters and legal teams who must bear witness, or the families of victims who are forced to endure long, arduous legal processes that extend their pain rather than attempt to end it.

before this, i had no understanding of the visitation system on death row. i had a more complete picture of the death watch process, but i didn’t know that another could sit with you for those 72 hours, if they “qualified,” and i didn’t know that when you receive a last-minute stay of execution, you are taken off of death watch, specifically, and don’t come back the same. you are forced to endure, say, 24 hours of your literal final goodbyes under the guise of this being the last time you will ever be alive, only to be met with a cruel “SIKE! do this again in six months, though.”

i didn’t know about the vast involvement of regular, average people in this system, or the amount of religious leaders who have taken this on as their spiritual cause, something of note considering how many religious leaders have also supported the death penalty because of their religious views.

please read the rest on my substack

[Dick Hamilton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book with stories on the crimes committed by inmates (small part) with a much larger emphasis on the lives of the men after reaching death row, how they changed, for the much better, as people. After reading this book, you can't help but wonder why we still have a death penalty.

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's tough to review a book like this. You don't "like" it per se because it's about a terrible subject. If you have strong feelings about the death penalty, as I do, much of this is not new information. But the individual stories are simultaneously disturbing and illuminating and Hale is a very good storyteller.

[Alexandria Faulkenbury · Rating 4 out of 5]

Will definitely make you think deeply about your own notions of grace, mercy, and forgiveness.

[Deborah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed it except for the abrupt ending.

It was informative and made me think. I looked up legal cases and the rulings behind them, and I always enjoy a book that has me doing more research.

Heavy on religion, which I would assume is a by product of being in death row.

Absolutely didn’t enjoy the ending. It was like a sudden stop in a car. Hope you’re wearing your seat belt.

[Natalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I learned about this book, Death Row Welcomes You, by Steven Hale, through my local independent bookseller, Joseph-Beth, in Lexington, Kentucky. I receive Joseph-Beth’s weekly email, which includes a calendar of upcoming author events. When I saw the title of this book and the upcoming event pertaining to it, I knew then and there that I would attend. I blogged about my experience at the author event, which you can read here. 

Author, Steven Hale, is a journalist who accepted an unusual invitation to witness an execution by the state of Tennessee. Unbeknownst to him, this decision opened his mind and heart to another world from which most of us are shielded. In 2018, the state of Tennessee began executing death row inmates for the first time in 10 years. In less than two years, the state executed seven men. It was as though they were in a competition with the state of Texas. The COVID pandemic was the only thing to stop executions. 

Steven encountered a man, David, who visited death row inmates weekly at the Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville. David also thoughtfully invited other citizens, mostly from his church, to visit these condemned men. Steven began regular visits and phone calls with a man named Terry. Steven writes about all the facets of being involved with this community. He objectively writes about the crimes these men have committed. Yes, their crimes are horrific and tragic, which can make for some heavy reading. He writes about who these men have become during their 20 or 30 years on death row. Steven speaks with a few of the victims’ family members. He captures the humanity of the visitors, who have been entering death row's visitation for multiple years. 

Eloquently weaved throughout the book, Steven shares how his visits and the relationship he developed with Terry are meaningful and painful due to his status as a death row inmate—a friend who very well may be killed by the state of Tennessee. Steven says little about the personal impact from witnessing these executions. I can only imagine it was traumatic, and I can’t help but wonder what the experience was like for him. I would probably need therapy for the rest of my life.

Death Row Welcomes You: Visiting Hours in the Shadow of the Execution Chamber is an excellent book. This is exactly the type of book that fueled my interest and subsequently guided my passion to build a career working with inmates. Like I mentioned, Steven objectively tells the story of each inmate's crime from the inmate's account, including any discrepancies compared to the original reports. As these men are facing execution, they don’t have anything to hide or reason to lie. They readily accept their responsibility with regret. Only one man claims his innocence, and he has done so since the day he was arrested. 

Our criminal justice system fails to consider any facts about a defendant outside their crime. People are harshly judged by the worst act or acts they committed. Don’t get me wrong; I believe people deserve to be punished for their crimes, and victims deserve justice. I don’t believe it’s right to execute human beings. When I read the horrific crimes described in this book, I wholeheartedly support punishment and have compassion for the victims and their families. When I read about the conditions of the inmates’ tragic upbringings filled with unspeakable abuse and drug use, I felt compassion for them too. In this book, Steven sheds light on the personal growth of these death row inmates and how they have changed during their incarceration. My heart strings were being pulled in so many directions. 

From an early age, I have been fascinated by true-crime stories. I began wondering why people behave the way they do. This curiosity led me to study psychology in college. I began volunteering and working with various populations—mental health, substance abuse, domestic violence, and juveniles in detention—to find my purpose. I learned so much about the conditions and cognitions that led people on the path of self-destruction. Furthermore, I wanted to understand humans and offer lifestyle alternatives with compassion. 

My search led me to a more than 22-year career with the Federal Bureau of Prisons as a therapist in a residential drug treatment program. My experience is evidence that people can change. Every day, I work with people who have made unthinkable decisions and victimized countless others. I have watched them transform themselves and become different people within a 10-month period. Some inmates I work with come from tragically unhealthy upbringings and challenging environments, and I learn they are capable of making better decisions. They, too, have been the victim and the victimizer. They learn to stop blaming their childhood on the decisions they made as adults. Likewise, they take responsibility for their actions and learn how to change their engrained criminality. Don’t get me wrong; I have worked with true psychopaths. They are the exception to the majority of the people I work with. 

When I learned of this book and author event, I was committed to retiring from the prison system in the latter part of 2024 and ready to start the application process. Knowing this book would speak to my passion, I immediately began to question my decision. It sounds crazy, but I love working in this environment and being a guide for change for those who want it. I always thought I would work in the prison system until they forced me out. When I was nearing eligibility, I learned it was the best option to go ahead and retire. A huge driving force is being able to spend more time with the people I love and doing the other things I love. I am grateful that this agency has afforded me the opportunity to retire much earlier than a typical retirement. Overall, this has been a bittersweet decision. I have loved my career and am grateful for the insight and understanding working with these incarcerated individuals has taught me. 

Steven got it right with this book, in more ways than one. I hope it inspires others to be a vehicle for change and compassion. Steven’s writing goes along with other authors, Bryan Stevenson and David R. Dow, who have inspired me over the years regarding the death penalty. I appreciate the timing of this book. It’s been therapeutic as I am closing a very large chapter in my life. 

I have photos and additional information that I'm unable to include here. It can all be found on my blog, in the link below.
A Book And A Dog

[lillqaa]

"This is the story of how I went to death row and found I was welcome."

I read this book in preparation for the state of Tennessee to execute Byron Black, a man with an intellectual disability, dementia and a defibrillator the Tennessee Department of Corrections had inserted in his chest a year prior due to cardiac issues, along with his myriad of other health problems. I would rather be armed with knowledge, rather than the aimless flailing I feel at embarking on the absurd without consuming each piece of knowledge available to me.

On Aug. 5, correctional officers wheeled him from death watch to the execution chamber, where a correctional officer killed him with a lethal dose of pentobarbital. I stood outside the prison with Steven Hale and several death penalty opponents mentioned in this book, bearing witness to what many of them had witnessed several times before: the warped ordeal of state-sanctioned bloodlust. This book may have prepared me to experience the execution day from my perspective, to try to wrap my head around it, but nothing could assuage my human reaction of bile that rises at its perversity.

Humanity is at the heart of "Death Row Welcomes You" and the question of recognizing it. The book asks us to see the humanity of the inmates on Tennessee's death row against the inhumane nature of their crimes. Reconciling this juxtaposition can be a struggle, but it can be done by reading Hale's reporting on death row and its people, condemned and forgotten in institutions for their offenses. It is compassionate reporting from death row and a highly personalized account that showcases the incarcerated men's acceptance of their sentencing, how time and incarceration change them and what led them to their death sentence. Their cases blurred together: stories of sexual, physical and emotional abuse as children, neglect and incest that resulted in heinous crimes and the death penalty. Myths about death row are dispelled as the people on it are humanized. The men on death row, like all people, are capable of so much nuance, and their stories hold ambivalence; this book confronts the contradiction of men who do horrible things — rob humans of their lives — but transform and rehabilitate into different men on death row: makeshift hospice workers tending to their fellow aged prisoners, bathing them, helping them use the bathroom, leading a blind prisoner, as well as the potential for joy in the visiation room with visitors who form lasting friendships with men condemned to death.

This is a hard subject matter that Hale is embedded in — forced to wrestle with his own drive as a reporter to witness executions and the emotional toll the work takes — he typically strikes the right tone of touching gravity while not waxing too sentimental. I'm not doing star ratings because of my proximity to the author, but it's a really good book I recommend.

"I had been to Riverbend on Monday night, for visitation, and on Thursday night, for executions, and I was now absolutely convinced that someone who had experienced one would see their worldview shattered by the other."

[Socraticgadfly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Powerful book. Probably 4.5 stars overall, but deserves a bump to make sure it's 5 stars. At least one 3-star review claims it's political, and I suspect that's behind all the 1-star ratings without reviews. Likewise, one 3-star review says "it wasn't what they expected." Really? Do you not even read titles and subtitles?

This book is about Hale first witnessing an execution as a member of the media, as most death-penalty states not only allow, but require. (What would happen if all non-wingnut media stopped showing up?)

From there, Hale makes contacts with David Bass, then via him and Joe Ingle, gets involved with visitation of death row inmates, as a personal, not professional matter. This is that story.

His primary muse among the inmates is Terry King, still living as of the time the book was written.

With all inmates, Hale tells their crimes in detail. He also tells their childhood upbringings in detail, the facts about how little of this was usually presented at their trials in detail and more. He talks about their transformations — psychological and religious.

With King, one incident he related to Hale on a phone call struck me.

He talks about trying to see the "Bethlehem star," that is, the Jupiter-Saturn Great Conjunction, but how prison courtyard lights drown it out. He them mentions seeing the stars in general after coming back from a hospital visit off-prison a few years ago, at night.

I thought of Mersault from "The Stranger":

“I looked up at the mass of signs and stars in the night sky and laid myself open for the first time to the benign indifference of the world.”

King isn't like that, and that's my takeoff on how, while I'm bumping it up, it isn't "really" five stars.

First, per one lower-star reviewer, yes, people "get religion" after 30 years in the stir. I think.

What if they don't? The book is about death row inmates who talked to people in the visitation group Hale joined. Were there any who didn't? If so, are any of them unremorseful? Or even in denial of their crimes?

Or, though "The Stranger" is a novel, even if remorseful in some ways, the US equivalent of French secular existentialists who have NOT "gotten god"?

[Jody Reads Smut · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the publication Death Row Welcomes You by Steven Hale, the author unmasks the reinstatement of executions in Tennessee after a long period of suspension. Award-winning journalist Hale gives an insight into the lives of death row inmates and the visitors who come to see them.

One of the distinguishing features of this book is that the author was able to gain access to the condemned prisoners and their visitors. Hale delves into their lives, diving deep into their stories of how they got on death row and how this experience impacted them. These visitors are not the kind of activists or death row groupies. They are everyday people whose lives have been dramatically altered by their relationships with these prisoners.

Hale writes both informative and compassionate. He gives the facts about the executions while also allowing the emotions and the views of the different people implicated in them. Instead, he uses his journalistic talents to vividly picture life behind bars and how the death penalty affects inmates and visitors.

The book also discusses how the state of Tennessee has been carrying out executions and the limitations of the media in accessing these events. Because Hale has to work as a reporter covering these executions, he can provide a unique vision of an area that is generally kept beyond the reach of the public.

Death Row Welcomes You is a thought-provoking and riveting book. First, the book is dedicated to everybody interested in learning more about the death penalty and its impacts on prisoners’ lives and society, as thanks to Steven Hale’s meticulous research and strong storytelling, reading it becomes inevitable. It represents a significant and timely contribution to the discussion about capital punishment.

Thank you to Melville House Publishing and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book.

[Suzanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. 5 stars for this very interesting book. I found this under true crime, and still and not sure why I requested it, but I am glad I did.

Author Steven Hale, is an award winning journalist. During his career, he was sent to follow executions in Tennessee when the state increased dramatically the number of prisoners they were executing. This book focuses on the men on death row and the visitors who spend time with them, along with the author's time spent with the prisoners. These visitors are simply ordinary people.... not groupies or activists. The author does not try to sway you one way or the other on the death penalty.

We hear the background story of each man her covered. Their life, their crimes, their time behind bars. Some of these crimes were quite heinous and that was not hidden from the reader. This was happening around the same time that certain execution drugs were no longer available and states were experimenting with other formulas. The first man covered in the book was fighting demons and mental illness since the age of 6. The author wrote that this man had never had a happy normal day in his life.

I am in no way an activist or an outspoken believer or proponent of the death penalty. I have my beliefs and believe that you cannot regain a life by taking one. Although the crimes are barbaric, we are suppposed to be a civilized society. Therefore, this book hit hard for me. Not to say I excuse the crimes, however, I don't excuse the way mental illness is still so stigmatized in this country.

Thank you to Melville House Publishing and Netgalley for the ARC. I greatly appreciate it. I highly recommend this book.

[Audrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5
wow. this is an absolutely harrowing read but I couldn't put it down. "death row welcomes you" follows the lives of the men living in unit 2—the death row of a Tennessee prison that has recently restarted executions.
this is far from an unbiased view of a controversial topic, and I think that's fine. it never claims to be, and I think it's sometimes important to read a passionate plea from one side of the story. that being said, the nature of this book means it inevitably focuses more on the perpetrators of violence than the victims, which I know can be hard to stomach. while it doesn't shy away from revealing the crimes of the men on death row, you also are typically either reading this accounts immediately before or after reading about the childhoods, life experiences, and transformations behind bars that the men have had. it's not always comfortable to read, but it's incredibly thought-provoking and raises some really compelling points about this aspect of our justice system.
I think I was predisposed to like this book, because I'm already really passionate about its topic. But Hale's writing is also incredibly strong, which I think help to artfully illustrate his argument and really bring readers into the space.
I'll definitely be thinking about this one for a long time.

[kylie · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I hit page one, I took a moment to really think about where I stand on the death penalty. And it's really hard to think about.

At several points we see that these men are not the same men that were put away decades ago. They're strangers to them, whose actions they hate but can't get away from. Paraphrasing - they wanted these men dead, but instead they locked them away for years, and now those men don't exist. But the state still seeks blood.

And then it just... ended. I don't know how I expected it to end, but the timing fell a little flat. After a quick Google search, I learned that Terry King, among other named former death row inmates, was suing the state in the hopes of getting access to a firing squad (over the electrocution chair and lethal injection). The earliest article I found was from 2018, the last from 2020 stating a trial date had been set for 2022. I couldn't find how that ended. But certainly that was interesting enough to not only mention but end on - "While Terry anxiously awaits what he feels is inevitable given the state's recent execution rate, he fights for choice in his death, advocating instead for the firing squad." Ya know, something like that.

**I received my copy from Netgalley.

[Emily | bookwhispererem · Rating 4 out of 5]

ℝ𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕘 & 𝔽𝕠𝕣𝕞𝕒𝕥: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | 𝐄-𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤

ℝ𝕖𝕧𝕚𝕖𝕨: 𝐏𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐮𝐥, 𝐞𝐲𝐞-𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐝𝐞𝐞𝐩𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐜. 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐬𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐦𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞. 𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡 𝐑𝐨𝐰 𝐖𝐞𝐥𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐟𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐬𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐧𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐲 𝐞𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐠𝐨 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐝𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐭𝐨. 𝐁𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐚 𝐣𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭–𝐚𝐬 𝐨𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐲, 𝐣𝐮𝐝𝐠𝐞, 𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐞𝐥𝐬𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐞𝐩𝐥𝐲 𝐢𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐬𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦–𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐬 𝐚 𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐲 𝐭𝐨𝐩𝐢𝐜 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐬.

𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡 𝐑𝐨𝐰 𝐖𝐞𝐥𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐛𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐌𝐚𝐱𝐢𝐦𝐮𝐦 𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐓𝐞𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐞, 𝐚𝐬 𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐬 𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐳𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐧𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐬. 𝐈𝐭 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐮𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐝𝐥𝐲 𝐝𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐚𝐭 𝐑𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐛𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐬 𝐚 𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐚𝐭 𝐜𝐚𝐩𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐩𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐀𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚.

𝐻𝓊𝑔𝑒 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓃𝓀 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓉𝑜 𝒮𝓉𝑒𝓋𝑒𝓃 𝐻𝒶𝓁𝑒, 𝑀𝑒𝓁𝓋𝒾𝓁𝓁𝑒 𝐻𝑜𝓊𝓈𝑒 𝒫𝓊𝒷𝓁𝒾𝓈𝒽𝒾𝓃𝑔, 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝒩𝑒𝓉𝒢𝒶𝓁𝓁𝑒𝓎 𝒻𝑜𝓇 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝑒-𝒜𝑅𝒞 𝑜𝒻 𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓈 𝒷𝑜𝑜𝓀! 𝒜𝓁𝓁 𝑜𝓅𝒾𝓃𝒾𝑜𝓃𝓈 𝒶𝓇𝑒 𝓂𝓎 𝑜𝓌𝓃.

[Sara Wang · Rating 3 out of 5]

The quality of this text is excellent - very well-written and covers a topic that many people know nothing about.

However, I'm troubled by how one-sided the book felt, being anti-death-penalty. There's lots of discussion about how the men on death row have been reformed and were much different people now....but nearly all of the inmates discussed have been on death row for 30+ years, so of course they've changed! Even people who aren't incarcerated have changed in 30+ years! I'd have liked more discussion from inmates at various times (5 yrs, 10 yrs, etc) of being on death row. Have these inmates been reformed??

I also would have appreciated a little bit more of a perspective from the victims' families and whether they thought the death penalty brought them justice. There were only a couple of times towards the end of the book where those perspectives were brought up. One such discussion brought up the fact that it took 30+ years for the inmate to be actually executed and this was hard on the victims. More needs to be discussed about this fact - why is it taking so long to bring these families justice?

[kylie · Rating 5 out of 5]

(4.5/5)

maybe my favorite book i’ve read this year. if you know me, you know that i’ve always felt a draw towards death penalty abolition. that probably sounds weird, and i really don’t know how to explain it, but middle school/high school me did many projects on the topic (including one where i had to make models of each method, which is interesting since the author of this book mentions the exact same school project), and i spent much of my teenage life debating my friends on the topic, signing & spreading petitions, donating to criminal justice reformation & death penalty abolition groups, etc. i am a staunch believer in the needlessness and cruelty of execution, and this book paints a clear picture of why. i’d recommend it to anyone, no matter where their personal death penalty-related opinions land on the spectrum. there’s just so many moments & stories & quotes that i think are worth hearing and thinking about.

(honestly, if it weren’t for the pretty abrupt ending, i’d probably consider this to be a perfect 5/5)

[Kayla · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Their lives had been overtaken by what they described as the gospel of proximity. After putting themselves in proximity to these condemned, marginalized men they couldn’t help but see humanity — the image of God, one might say — in them. Questions of guilt or innocence, they’d found, were secondary to this core truth.” - Pg. 189

In tears reading the final pages of my brother’s book tonight. It’s honestly surreal to read his words and know it was him witnessing these things. I’d like to give him a hug tonight ❤️. Filled with such pride for his work. Sorrow for the proximity he now has to such horrors. Amazed by the reality of the death penalty but equally as encouraged by the real and genuine transformation that can come. I pray people read these words and contemplate the reality that nobody is defined by the very worst thing they’ve done. He writes so honestly and so beautifully and every person needs to read these stories ❤️

[Keri Karman · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The best way to expose the inhumanity of the death penalty (is) to expose people to the humanity of the men condemned to it."

Hale expertly accomplishes this by goal by writing, "Death Row Welcomes You", an enlightening look into the lives of those on death row. and the toll it takes on those serving their sentences, as well as their supporters and their victims. Hale's first-hand accounts of his visits to death row are truly fascinating as the reader is able to gain an understanding of the inner working of the prison and the lives of the prisoners. This book is a call to action for a more humane prison system that focuses on education and rehabilitation, rather than more punishment. After all, a true mark of our humanity is how humanely we treat others.

Thank you to NetGalley and Melville House Publishing for this ARC!

[Aleysha van Dijk · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book, it was well written and is nice to see how the men on death row have changed and taken resposibility. I loved learning about the author's relationships he formed and the emotions he went through.

My problem with this book is that there is a heavy focus on how these men have changed. While I agree that's a good thing it rubbed me the wrong way how the author almost talked about them and how they have changed as if it doesn't matter that they've committed absolutely horrible crimes. How he would be fine with them being his neighbor etc. We cannot forget that they did unthinkable things to other humans and I think there should have been more of a focus on how one can be rehabilitated and what that process looks like rather than just garnering sympathy for the men on death row.

[Tom Griffiths · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a moving book which achives whst book books can. It introduces humanity to the ctinal justice system. Mr. Hale does that by exploring in depth the lives and background of the people living on death row and those living with death row.

As an attorney who represents murder clients, The execution of Steve was particularly moving to me. After describing the events he goes on to explore his thoughts, feelings, and motivations for being there. I ask myself some of those same questions.

In the end I came away with a better understanding of something I thought I already knew. I recommend this book to anyone who wonders how a society that professes to.embrace kindness can intentionally kill our most damaged.

[Courtney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you Melville publishing for an ARC of Death Row Welcomes you! I enjoyed this so much because of the sheer objectivity of author Steven Hale. This is unbiased, non-fiction storytelling at its finest. Nearly all of us feel one way or the other about the death penalty, Hale included — but he managed not to make this the focal point of his book.

This title is unique in that it not only follows death row inmates but their visitors as well. It’s not often we get these perspectives, and they are so so so important. If you’re not convinced, read this book.

The book could probably be shorter, but I never felt bored reading it. Highly recommended; it is one that will help you examine your own thoughts, biases, and abilities to be both empathetic and sympathetic.

[Jeni · Rating 4 out of 5]

Death Row Welcomes You is written from the perspective of a man who becomes a friend and visitor of an inmate on death row. Throughout the book, we meet other visitors and multiple inmates and hear a bit about their stories. This book excels in humanizing those who have done horrific things. It is eye-opening to explore the childhoods of so many of the inmates Hale meets and to understand the far reaching impacts of the trauma so many of these men have experienced. Neither Hale nor anyone else that is interviewed for the book seems to find the experiences these men have had an "excuse" for their behavior, but rather a supplement to understanding how someone can do something so horrific and still have the ability to change or to become more than the worst act they ever committed.

[Jenny Recktenwald · Rating 4 out of 5]

July has been such a busy month with not as much reading (sad!!) BUT this book kept me so engaged and learning with the reading time that I did have. This book illustrates the problems and atrocities associated with death row, specifically in the state of Tennessee. This book only reaffirmed my desire to hopefully work with those on death row and/or those who have been wrongfully incarcerated. Often times during this book, I kept thinking of Bryan Stevenson and his prolific statement of believing that people are more than the worst thing they’ve ever done — and I couldn’t agree more. I definitely recommend this book to anyone but especially to those who support the death penalty — this book will challenge the beliefs you may have and shine a light on those you don’t.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

3⭐️ (this rating is not based on subject matter as I feel it was one-sided and based on the quality of the writing).

The death penalty is one of those things that really divides people.

This book takes a look at the offender’s, their upbringing and what led to their conviction. It also looks at the people who visit them.

What it doesn’t look at, is the victims. There’s a bit towards the end, but not a lot.

This was not a book written from a non-biased POV. The author is clearly anti-death penalty and I think if you’re going to write a book like this, you really need to look at both sides equally. I also think the victims should have been addressed more.

It was well written though.

Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.