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Appendix B. Interview Schedule for Initial Interviews Much attention has been paid to family members of murder victims, but little has been written about families of offenders. I would like to hear in your own words how having a family member either facing prosecution for a capital offense or on death row has affected your life. I would like to begin with a few questions about you before asking you about your family member. 1. How old are you? What is your marital status? With whom do you currently live? 2. What is your relationship to the person we are talking about? How close would you say you and ___ were at the time of his/her arrest? [Probe] When was the last time you had seen ___, talked to him/her on the phone, or received a letter from him/her? How often were you in contact before the arrest? Has that changed? How? [Probe] Do you have contact with ___ now? How often? [Probe] 3. How did you first become aware that ___ was charged with a capital offense?What was your initial reaction? Please say as much as you want. 4. Did _______’s arrest affect your relationship with other family members? In what ways? [Say as much as you want] How are those relationships now? [Probe] 5. Initially, did the arrest or finding out about the arrest affect any other areas of your life? How about church, work, finances, school, social life? Tell me about any effects on your life. Has that changed? In what ways? 6. I would like to know ways in which your relationships with friends, coworkers, and neighbors may have been affected. Tell me about how you felt other people reacted to you when they found out. How about today? [Probe] 187 7. Are there some people that you feel have been supportive of you? [Probe for details] Are there any people who you feel are unsupportive of you? [Probe for details] 8. Do you have any hobbies or sports that interest you? Have those been affected in any way? [Probe for details] 9. Have any other family members also been affected, in your opinion? [Probe] 10. Tell me what has been most difficult for you. 11. What would you want the public to know about dealing with a family member’s death sentence? 12. Is there anything that I haven’t asked you about that you think is important? [If yes, probe for details] Appendix B 188 ...

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