Comparative Executive Clemency: The Constitutional Pardon Power and the Prerogative of Mercy in Global Perspective (Book Review)
(2016) 11(2) Asian Journal of Comparative Law 334
4 Pages Posted: 1 Oct 2016 Last revised: 15 Jul 2017
Date Written: September 1, 2016
Abstract
In 1977, Israeli academic Leslie Sebba published two articles comparing constitutional arrangements for executive clemency the world over. Despite some thematic coverage in comparative constitutional law or death penalty textbooks, and several smaller-scale comparative studies, Sebba’s work remained the leading scholarship on executive clemency across national borders for almost 40 years. Into this literary vacuum steps Andrew Novak, Adjunct Professor of Criminology and Law and Society at George Mason University, with his welcome new text Comparative Executive Clemency: The Constitutional Pardon Power and the Prerogative of Mercy in Global Perspective. Novak’s ambitious comparative law project, set out in nine chapters, aims to juxtapose the laws and procedures governing executive clemency across the entire common law world, from Alabama to Zimbabwe.
Keywords: Clemency, Pardon, Amnesty, Comparative Constitutional Law
JEL Classification: K14, K19, K10
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation