{"product_id":"the-deserving-what-the-lives-of-the-condemned-reveal-about-american-justice-hardcover","title":"The Deserving: What the Lives of the Condemned Reveal about American Justice - Hardcover","description":"\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp style=\"text-align: right;\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/reportcopyrightinfringement.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eReport copyright infringement\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eElizabeth Vartkessian\u003c\/b\u003e (Author), \u003cb\u003eSister Helen Prejean\u003c\/b\u003e (Foreword by)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA groundbreaking new take on the American justice system from one of its unknown revolutionaries, offering a powerful new vision of responsibility, punishment, and repair.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"The first book I'm aware of to pull back the curtain on a life-saving field most have never heard of: mitigation.\" --Sister Helen Prejean, author of \u003ci\u003eDead Man Walking\u003c\/i\u003e, from the foreword\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eElizabeth 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. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eFounder 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. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eAmid the Trump administration's record-high executions and calls to expand the use of the death penalty after decades of progress, \u003ci\u003eThe Deserving\u003c\/i\u003e is required reading for a dangerous new era of rollbacks. Vartkessian offers a compelling, hope-filled vision of true rehabilitation replacing retribution.\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eMitigation specialist \u003cb\u003eElizabeth Vartkessian\u003c\/b\u003e has been investigating the life histories of those facing the most severe penalties possible in the United States since 2004. She holds a PhD in law and an MS in comparative social policy from Oxford, and BAs in philosophy and political science from George Washington University. She is the founder and director of Advancing Real Change Inc., a national nonprofit dedicated to conducting life history investigations in criminal cases. She lives in Baltimore.\u003c\/p\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 288\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 1.07 x 9.47 x 6.42 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e January 20, 2026\u003c\/div\u003e\n            ","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53256908407117,"sku":"9781639731398","price":29.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0927\/3304\/7117\/files\/NU5pRAMEba9781639731398.webp?v=1769597544","url":"https:\/\/belfastbooks.us\/products\/the-deserving-what-the-lives-of-the-condemned-reveal-about-american-justice-hardcover","provider":"belfastbooks.us","version":"1.0","type":"link"}