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Ruth Ellis and Public Contestation of the Death Penalty

Seal, L.

Authors

L. Seal



Abstract

This article examines public reactions to the case of Ruth Ellis through an analysis of letters sent to the Home Secretary. The vast majority of these requested a reprieve, and highlighted themes such as her status as a mother, the murder as a crime of passion, David Blakely's mistreatment of her and the unfairness of applying the death penalty in her case. I argue that we need to analyse the public's views on Ruth Ellis in order to understand why her case was a pivotal one in turning the tide against capital punishment as a mandatory penalty for murder.

Citation

Seal, L. (2011). Ruth Ellis and Public Contestation of the Death Penalty. Howard Journal of Criminal Justice, 50(5), 492-504. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2311.2011.00691.x

Journal Article Type Article
Publication Date Dec 1, 2011
Deposit Date Nov 29, 2011
Journal Howard Journal of Criminal Justice
Print ISSN 0265-5527
Electronic ISSN 1468-2311
Publisher Wiley
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 50
Issue 5
Pages 492-504
DOI https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2311.2011.00691.x
Keywords Death penalty, Capital punishment, Murder, Public opinion, Ruth Ellis.

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