Death Penalty

See the controversial topics resource guide for more information on locating resources and evaluating information.

Use the online catalog to find print and electronic books on your controversial topic.

The following is a list of recent books located in the NHC Library. For help locating these and additional titles, please see a librarian at the reference desk on the 3rd floor of the library building.

• The hangman's knot : lynching, legal execution, and America's struggle with the death penalty. by Steelwater, Eliza
  HV8699.U5 S72 2003
• The wrong men : America's epidemic of wrongful death row convictions. by Cohen, Stanley
  HV8698 .C66 2003
• Ultimate punishment : a lawyer's reflections on dealing with the death penalty. by Turow, Scott
  PBK TUR ULT, 2003
• Kiss of death : America's love affair with the death penalty. Bessler, John HV8699.U5 B473 2003
• Arbitrary and capricious : the Supreme Court, the Constitution, and the death penalty. Foley, Michael A.
  KF9227.C2 F65 2003
• The death penalty : an American history. Banner, Stuart.
  HV8699.U5 B367 2002
• A comparative analysis of capital punishment : statutes, policies, frequencies, and public attitudes the world over. Simon, Rita James.
  HV8694 .S55 2002
  

• Capital Punishment is an entry from the Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy which presents a brief overview of both sides of the debate.
• Capital Punishment 2000 from the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs was released in December 2001 and includes national and state statistics on executions and death row inmates.
• Court TV: Death Penalty provides an overview as well as statistics and an analysis of death penalty cases in several states.
• Ethics Updates: Punishment and the Death Penalty edited by a Professor of Philosophy at the University of San Diego contains links to many authoritative full-text sources.
• The Federal Death Penalty System: Supplementary Data, Analysis and Revised Protocols for Capital Case Review from the U.S. Department of Justice, June 6, 2001 discusses issues related to representation of minorities in the pool of potential federal capital cases and steps to ensure fairness in prosecuting capital crimes.
  
• Survey of the Federal Death Penalty System released September 12, 2000 by the U.S. Department of Justice features reports showing that a significantly higher percentage of inmates from minority groups are sent to death row. (NOTE: need Adobe Acrobat Reader software to view information)

• American Bar Association Q & A on the Death Penalty from October 2000 provides information on why this punishment may be discriminatory.
• American Civil Liberties Union-Death Penalty argues against the death penalty "because it violates the constitutional ban on cruel and unusual punishment, is administered arbitrarily and unfairly, and fails to deter crime or improve public safety."
• The Juvenile Death Penalty: Questions and Answers  from the American Bar Association features information on the ABA's stand against executions for people who committed crimes when they were minors. See related information from ABA on John Lee Malvo, a 17-year-old suspect in the D.C.-area sniper killings from 2002.

• John Stuart Mill: “Speech in Favor of Capital Punishment”  by the noted liberal 19th century scholar defends the death penalty.
• Pro-Death Penalty.com  is from Justice for All, a Texas "criminal justice reform organization" which supports the death penalty.
• The Ultimate Punishment: A Defense  features a Harvard Law Review article by Fordham University, Ernest van den Haag which defends capital punishment.

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