Death row inmate Roger McGowen has declared his innocence from the start. He undertook, alone, a long spiritual journey that led him from rage at the system and victimhood to compassion, forgiveness, freedom, and unconditional love, which he shares in his correspondence with writer and sociologist Pierre Pradervand. Messages of Life from Death Row shows the often deeply flawed functioning of the American criminal justice system and its arbitrary application of the death penalty. A unique juxtaposition of carefully selected texts next to the heartfelt and memorable letters written by McGowen from his cell on death row gives readers a historical, ethical, and pragmatic overview of American criminal justice, and reminds us yet again that an imperfect system which takes the lives of innocent men and women cannot continue to exist. Thousands around the world have already been deeply touched by the French and Dutch versions of the book.