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Condemned: Inside the Sing Sing Death House
An inside look into one of the most mythologized prisons in modern America--the Sing Sing death house
In the annals of American criminal justice, two prisons stand out as icons of institutionalized brutality and Alcatraz and Sing Sing. In the 70 odd years before 1963, when the death sentence was declared unconstitutional in New York, Sing Sing was the site of almost one-half of the 1,353 executions carried out in the state. More people were executed at Sing Sing than at any other American prison, yet Sing Sing's death house was, to a remarkable extent, one of the most closed, secret and mythologized places in modern America.
In this remarkable book, based on recently revealed archival materials, Scott Christianson takes us on a disturbing and poignant tour of Sing Sing's legendary death house, and introduces us to those whose lives Sing Sing claimed. Within the dusty files were mug shots of each newly arrived prisoner, most still wearing the out-to-court clothes they had on earlier that day when they learned their verdict and were sentenced to death. It is these sometimes bewildered, sometimes defiant, faces that fill the pages of Condemned , along with the documents of their last months at Sing Sing.
The reader follows prisoners from their introduction to the rules of Sing Sing, through their contact with guards and psychiatrists, their pleas for clemency, escape attempts, resistance, and their final letters and messages before being put to death. We meet the mother of five accused of killing her husband, the two young Chinese men accused of a murder during a robbery and the drifter who doesn't remember killing at all. While the majority of inmates are everyday people, Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were also executed here, as were the major figures in the infamous Murder Inc., forerunner of the American mafia. Page upon page, Condemned leaves an indelible impression of humanity and suffering.
In the annals of American criminal justice, two prisons stand out as icons of institutionalized brutality and Alcatraz and Sing Sing. In the 70 odd years before 1963, when the death sentence was declared unconstitutional in New York, Sing Sing was the site of almost one-half of the 1,353 executions carried out in the state. More people were executed at Sing Sing than at any other American prison, yet Sing Sing's death house was, to a remarkable extent, one of the most closed, secret and mythologized places in modern America.
In this remarkable book, based on recently revealed archival materials, Scott Christianson takes us on a disturbing and poignant tour of Sing Sing's legendary death house, and introduces us to those whose lives Sing Sing claimed. Within the dusty files were mug shots of each newly arrived prisoner, most still wearing the out-to-court clothes they had on earlier that day when they learned their verdict and were sentenced to death. It is these sometimes bewildered, sometimes defiant, faces that fill the pages of Condemned , along with the documents of their last months at Sing Sing.
The reader follows prisoners from their introduction to the rules of Sing Sing, through their contact with guards and psychiatrists, their pleas for clemency, escape attempts, resistance, and their final letters and messages before being put to death. We meet the mother of five accused of killing her husband, the two young Chinese men accused of a murder during a robbery and the drifter who doesn't remember killing at all. While the majority of inmates are everyday people, Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were also executed here, as were the major figures in the infamous Murder Inc., forerunner of the American mafia. Page upon page, Condemned leaves an indelible impression of humanity and suffering.
200 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2000
36 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
February 14, 2011
this book will bring you to your knees with the realization that the american justice system was not always what it is today. a window into the past and the lives of those convicted and put away in one of the worst prisons in the country. to see a side of life many of us don't even think twice about, the letters of those locked away for life, the innocent and the guilty, the simple wishes of those who have lost everything. many undeservingly. definitely sealed my views on being against capital punishment. but even aside from all that, simply an amazing book to see into the lives of real people who might have otherwise been lost and forgotten. offers some real perspective and makes you feel grateful for the life that you have.
September 17, 2018
Details about the process of putting to death by "legal electrocution." 614 people between 1891 and 1963.
No matter how the death penalty is administered: quickly (that is within a few months of conviction) or after many years, it is unfair and cruel.
Interestingly, Sing Sing Prison Warden Lewis Lawes, warden from 1920 to 1941, was one of the nation's leading opponents to the death penalty.
Fascinating and very sad.
No matter how the death penalty is administered: quickly (that is within a few months of conviction) or after many years, it is unfair and cruel.
Interestingly, Sing Sing Prison Warden Lewis Lawes, warden from 1920 to 1941, was one of the nation's leading opponents to the death penalty.
Fascinating and very sad.
November 24, 2014
My boyfriend got this book for free and passed it on to me, saying that it seemed like something I might enjoy. I was skeptical, but he wasn't wrong - I enjoy nonfiction, dark things, gross things, and useless knowledge, so this was pretty much right up my alley. I read it cover to cover the first day. It's not as much a narrative as a scrapbook of the horrors of Sing Sing - photos, letters, et cetera. It is gripping and unflinching - disturbing and disturbingly easy to get sucked into.
May 15, 2015
This book was illuminating. I wish the author had provided a little more background on the criminals themselves, but it was so interesting to learn about Sing Sing's history. It was a quick read, full of some really great photos.
September 21, 2009
An interesting look at the infamous prison. A quick read that provides never before seen info.
December 18, 2014
A very interesting look inside the Sing Sing "Death House".
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews