Death Penalty

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Death Penalty

Murphy, R. G. (2010). Voices of the death penalty debate: A citizen’s guide to capital punishment.Lake Mary, FL: Vandeplas Pub.

“Voices of the death penalty debate: A citizen’s guide to Capital Punishment” is a recently published book exploring point of view for and against death penalty. The book addresses this through testimonies given during the years 2004 and 2005 hearings in New York concerning whether the state’s death penalty should be reinstated (Murphy, 2010). The book is written by Russell Murphy who is a SuffolkUniversityLawSchool professor with a lot of experience in the topic. He takes readers through testimonies from ordinary citizens, experts, organizations individuals who have fallen victims of death penalty and those exonerated from the penalty, and religious leaders, taking their views. The author gives further explanations of the testimonies to guide the readers through for a better understanding.

The book is directly related to this topic as it provides topics such as death penalties data, limitations from the constitution, capital punishment justification, the prosecution process, the costs involved, and racial influence on death penalty, mental illness, and execution of the innocent and international perspectives about death. The book is based on the long work of the capital punishment subject, and the author was at the New York hearing where the central case was about the murder of Jill Russell Cahill. With this source, I intend to find out about the views of people and organizations about death penalty and under what conditions it is offered.

Paternoster, R., Brame, R., & Bacon, S. (2008). The death penalty: America’s experience with capital punishment.New York: OxfordUniversity Press.

This book is a comprehensive review of death penalty in the United States authored by Professors Raymond Paternoster, Robert Brame, and Sarah Bacon. The book explores the death penalty that is a controversial issue in the criminal justice and the authors manage a balanced perspective outing focus on both sides of the argument. The authors have done a comprehensive review on the current constitutional issues revolving around the death penalty, influence on death penalty by international law, and the effect of these two factors concerning the future of capital punishment in the United States.

The book covers the death topic comprehensively dating back to its history in the earlier centuries. The topics include death penalty history in U.S from the 1600 to current times, changes in death penalty trends focusing on the kinds of crime that are punishable by death, procures of trying the offenders and methods used for execution (Paternoster, Brame and Bacon, 2008). Influence of race on administering death penalty from past to present, public opinion on the issue and Questions about the execution of innocents, exonerated capital offenders, and flaws in the operation of the death penalty. These topics make the book relevant for researching on trends of death penalty considering the book covers its history, which is a good source for knowing what crimes called for death penalties in the past and whether today they do and what crimes currently warrant for the capital punishment.

Tabak, R.J. (2008). The private bar’s efforts to secure proper representation for those facing execution. The Justice System Journal, 29 (3): 356-366.

This is a journal article addressing the efforts taken by the American Bar Association (ABA) and other bars in ensuring that all offenders facing the death penalties are given a fair trial to ensure that no body is executed with out having a counsel at all stages during the legal proceedings. The proceedings start from the pretrial to the trial, appeal, post-conviction and federal habeas-corpus proceedings to leniency proceedings (Tabak, 2008). The article has focused on the activities taken to see that the death sentence offenders get representation by the bar association. This gives several of the difficulties that the offenders of crime punishable by death face especially lack of representation in the trial. This way the article provides a series of procedures of undertaken before the death sentence is passed.

The article tackles issues that that in the past have denied the offenders’ right to some proceedings such as the federal habeas-corpus that allow offender to have a fair judgment passed on them. The article is relevant for finding out issues that in the past have led to unfair judgment and how the American Bar Association is dealing with stopping such an issue from happening. The article is a good resource for controversial issues about death penalty and organizations’ points of view on the issues as well as what the organizations are doing to ensure a fair trial. More still, the article does provide knowledge of what rights the offenders have.

Latzer, B., & McCord, D. (2010). Death penalty cases: Leading U.S. Supreme Court cases on capital punishment.Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier.

This is a recently published book concerning the death penalty issue, focusing on death penalty cases in the recent cases, making it a credible resource for the topic. The book includes cases such as the “Kennedy v. Louisiana case that prohibited death penalty for child rapists, and the case of “Baze v. Rees that upheld execution through the lethal injection Latzer and McCord, 2010). The book organizes all the cases into different categories: foundation cases, death eligibility cases concerning who is eligible for death penalty, death penalty trial, post-conviction review, and execution issues. The cases and issues on the death penalty such as history and administration have been revised comprehensively to ensure their credibility in providing understanding of the topic. More still, the book has provided an updated statistical appendix as well as a restructured statutory appendix.

The authors have ensured objectivity of the material provided in the book and provides a comprehensive explanation of the recent cases processes and issues surrounding the topic. The book has further expounded on the different ways that states in the United States processes death penalty cases, using excerpts of most recent statutes. This source is ideal for researching on the what crimes and people can be issued with a death sentence, and in which conditions can an offender be exonerated from the sentence as well as how the process of the whole capital punishment is carried out practically using recent cases.

Minsker, N., Gerace, M., & Zamora, A. (2011). California’s Death Penalty is dead. California, CA: ACLU of California

This is a report from the ACLU of California written by Natasha Minsker,

Death Penalty Policy Director, Miriam Gerace, Senior Communications Strategist, and Ana Zamora, Program Associate. The report is a review of people’s or public opinion on the issue and the costs associated with the death sentence that is known to be high. According to the authors of the report, those leaders who supported death penalties were rejected by voters who preferred leaders who promoted replacing death sentence with life imprisonment without possibility of parole (Minsker, Gerace and Zamora, 2011). In a poll, it found that 63% of likely California voters support converting the death penalty into life imprisonment. The report then gives the opinion on costs associated with the death penalty trials and time it takes, citing that the case could cost 20 times more than a life imprisonment without parole, and take more than 25 years before it is passed due to the long processes of such a case. The costs include protection for the inmate, costs for paying lawyers and lethal injection.

This article gives a comprehensive review of the costs involved with death sentence and the increased awareness by the public who feel that such funds would go to fighting crime in the streets rather than for killing one person while it will not prevent crime effectively as more police would. This report is ideal for giving the public opinion on the issues and costs it takes before a person is executed.

Pierce, G. L., & Radelet, M. L. (2007). Monitoring Death Sentencing Decisions: The Challenges and Barriers to Equity. Human Rights: Journal of the Section of Individual Rights and Responsibilities, 34 (2): 2-4.

According to Pierce and Radelet (2007), “Much more needs to be done to effectively monitor homicide cases, ensuring only the worst offenders are being sentenced to death.” The article suggests that death penalty application requires a careful and comprehensive monitoring to find out whether a crime is eligible for death penalty. The article has addressed the evidence of America in the last three decades that has shown the challenges and assertions of modern death punishment systems have be able to ensure that only the worst cases are given capital punishment, categorizing the evidence into two categories. The categories are evidence showing fallibility of death penalty decisions and evidence showing fairness of such decisions to ensure that those sentenced to death deserved to. The article further states that in all the states that have death sentence none has a neutral body for collection of homicide data, and that some sentences can be replaced by life imprisonment without parole. More still, the article suggests that monitoring of homicide cases being sentenced for death is possible if government is willing to implement ways of collecting data that would be necessary to classify the case as punishable by death.

This article explores the monitoring of death sentence currently citing that much more needs to be done to ensure that people sentenced to death are only the deserving ones. The article provides n understanding of monitoring and sentencing decision to ensure fairness.

Marzilli, A. (2008). Capital Punishment. New York, NY: Infobase Publishing.

According to Marzilli (2008), “Although many Americans support the use of the death penalty, questions remain about whether the death penalty actually deters crime, or if the imposition of the penalty shows a pattern of discriminating against the poor or minorities.” In this book, Marzilli explores both point of whether death penalty discourages crime and whether the process of trial for death penalty cases should be smoothened or more safety measures taken that could make the process even longer. The book is updated with recent statistics, legal opinions and legislation on death penalty issue. The book further explores the ethical arguments practical and sociological points of view for and against death penalty.

The book has introduced what is capital punishment, put across the point, which is death penalty is an effective deterrent to crime, and the counterpoint that is, and death penalty is not a deterrent to crime. The other point is, “reducing limits on capital punishment would make more effective,” with the counter point being “it is too easy to convict and execute people.” Finally, the last point is, “capital punishment is applied fairly in our society,” while the counterpoint is “capital punishment is applied unfairly in our society (Marzilli, 2008). The book is a good resource for researching about current questions surrounding the topic and several opinions of people. The book then concludes with the point expounding on the future of the capital punishment in America.

Babcock, S. (2007). The Global Debate on the Death Penalty. Human Rights: Journal of the Section of Individual Rights and Responsibilities, 34 (2): 17-20.

According to Babcock (2007), “Many human rights organizations and intergovernmental organizations, such as the European Union, see the death penalty as one of the most pressing human rights issues of our time and have taken an active role in persuading countries to halt executions.” Among the questions asked in this article is whether death penalty deters crime, whether it is necessary if it does not deter crime and whether it satisfies the society’s desire for reckoning the offenders, whether it is was the costs and whether murderers can transform. More still, the article questions whether states should take lives of their citizens, whether methods used in execution are humane, and whether there is a great risk of executing innocent people. This are some of the debates going on globally about death penalty, and many countries feel that it should be stopped and further citing that death penalty is deeply rooted in the united states than all other countries with the gap growing bigger as more nations continue to abolish capital punishment.

The article gives the views of global organizations concerning the questions it seeks to answer. The article also states the viewpoint of the Supreme Court regarding the international law on capital punishment. The article qualifies as a good resource for researching on the global views and debates as well as their opinion concerning the death penalty that today is fought against by many human rights organizations across the world.

Appleton, C., & Grøver, B. (2007). The Pros and Cons of Life without Parole. British Journal of Criminology, 47 (4): 597-615.

The article tries to answer how societies should respond to the worst crimes in their community other than using the death penalty, which many societies have found to be life sentence without possibility of parole. This is considered the oldest debate in many civilized countries going for as long as two centuries. The article lays emphasis on the rapid unusual increase in life imprisonment without parole to replace death penalty in the United States. The article assesses the arguments put across by supporters of life imprisonment as well as those who argue against it as an effective replacement to death penalty. The article provides views of people about the replacement to death penalty (Appleton and Grøver, 2007).

This article is a good source for learning the view of people on the life sentence meant to replace death sentence, and in a research about death topic, it act as the remedy to capital punishment in case death penalty is abolished as many countries have done. Increase of this solution to capital punishment in America is a sign that death sentence is reducing and soon it might completely replace death sentence that is at verge of abolishment, or my only exist in the books but not in reality. It is important to understand what might be the next sentence for the worst crimes committed in many societies and communities (Appleton and Grøver, 2007).

Hood, R.G. (2002). The death penalty: a worldwide perspective. New York: OxfordUniversity Press.

This is a book about the perspective of people worldwide about the topic of death sentence. According to Hood (2002). “Despite growing pressure for the death penalty’s abolition, the year 2000 saw over 1000 people executed in China, some 123 in Saudi Arabia, 75 in Iran, and 85 in the United States of America.” In this book, Hood has assessed the global view and status of capital punishment exploring the changes that have occurred in the past 12 after the first edition of the death penalty. The book talks about an increase of countries that have re-introduced it, and the reducing number of eligible cases for death penalty. The book introduces the sources of information, its plan and the approach taken towards death penalty. It also covers abolitionist movements and their progress. The book further examines the scope of death penalty, protection of venerable people from capital punishment and protecting the innocent. More so, it covers issues of fairness and equality in capital punishment administration and the question of deterrence.

The book is a reliable resource for global perspective on the issue of death penalty and procedures used as well. The book is also ideal for researching on abolitionist movements that set to stop death sentences and one can learn of their progress. More still, the ethical issue of fairness and equality is covered. The book has covered the topic of death penalty comprehensively giving more focus on global perspective.

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