NCJ Number
167849
Editor(s)
D Bender,
B Leone,
P A Winters
Date Published
1997
Length
192 pages
Annotation
This book explores opposing views on whether the death penalty constitutes cruel and unusual punishment, whether death sentences are handed out fairly, and whether capital punishment is an effective deterrent.
Abstract
Opposing views are included in four chapters: (1) debate on the death penalty; (2) justness of the death penalty; (3) effectiveness of the death penalty; and (4) fairness of the death penalty. Arguments are presented on the ability of the death penalty to discourage crime, whether the death penalty is state- sanctioned murder, whether the death penalty will safeguard society, whether the death penalty is morally and legally just, the deterrent effectiveness of the death penalty, costs associated with the death penalty, whether the death penalty is applied unfairly to black, poor, and retarded individuals. References, tables, and figures