The Last Firing Squad

In January 1996, John Albert Taylor was executed by a Utah firing squad for the rape and murder of an eleven-year-old girl. Although executions have become commonplace, this event drew national attention not only because Taylor chose to die, but also since he used the firing squad to highlight the "barbarity" of capital punishment. This video examines Taylor's case from all perspectives, including that of the mother of the murdered girl, death penalty abolitionists, prosecutors, defenders, legal experts, media people, and Taylor himself in a death row interview conducted by two high school students. The documentary explores the Mormon concept of "blood atonement," and tries to find answers to some old questions. Is the death penalty cruel and unusual? Does the state have the right to kill? Does capital punishment deter crime? Eyewitnesses vividly recall the last moments of Taylor's life (though, thankfully, the execution is not shown). The Last Firing Squad is admirably fair-minded and absorbing, but it's unlikely to change anyone's position on the death penalty. Recommended for criminology and current events collections. Aud: H, C, P. (S. Rees)