NCJ Number
101601
Date Published
Unknown
Length
0 pages
Annotation
This guide is designed to help study groups examine their attitudes toward capital punishment, the current status of capital punishment and its human dimensions, the position of the United Presbyterian Church on this issue, and the possibilities for action.
Abstract
Following a brief introduction, the course begins with a study of biblical passages pertinent to the death penalty. Background information is then presented on the number of people on death row, the practices of various States and Nations, Supreme Court rulings, and the nature of executions. Abbreviated case studies are provided to enhance consideration of the human dynamics of capital punishment. This is followed by a presentation of arguments for and against capital punishment, including those based on deterrence, inconsistency in application and possibility of error, morality, prevention, public security, and theology. Finally, action strategies for abolishing the death penalty are presented. Appendixes provide religious resources (prayers, hymns, etc.), some reflections on the execution of Gary Gilmore in 1977, and the abolitionist perspective of a Florida judge. 12-item annotated bibliography.