Introduction: The death penalty, victims' families, and families of prisoners
Dealing with the horror : "we're sentenced, too"
Trying to cope: withdrawal, anger, and joining
The grief process : denial and horror, the BADD cycle (bargaining, activity, disillusionment and desperation)
Facing the end : families and execution
Aftermath : picking up the pieces
"But he's innocent
" : dealing with wrongful accusations and convictions
Double losers : being both a victim's family member and an offender's family member
Family after the fact : fictive kin and death row marriages
The death penalty and families, revisited
Conclusion.