Crossing the River Styx: The Memoir of a Death Row Chaplain

Charles Peppers ’22, Todd C. Peppers, and Russ Ford; University of Virginia Press, March 2023

The Rev. Russ Ford, who served as the head chaplain on Virginia’s death row for 18 years, raged against the inequities of the death penalty while ministering to 28 men condemned to die in the 1980s and 1990s. His unusual ministry makes this memoir a unique and compelling read. Revealing the cruelties of the state-sanctioned violence, Crossing the River Styx serves as a cautionary tale for those who still support capital punishment.