Capital Punishment
Capital Punishment | Chapter 1 Preface
Most societies at some time or other have endorsed the use of the death penalty. Ancient Roman and Judaic cultures practiced retributive justice, adhering to the rule of “an eye for an eye.” The United States inherited its use of capital punishment from European settlers in the seventeenth century, promoting the notion that heinous crimes deserved severe punishment. In the eighteenth century, however, philosophers began to question the ethics of the death penalty. Italian criminologist Cesare Beccaria condemned capital punishment as an ineffective and grossly inhumane deterrent to...
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- Introduction
- Chapter 1: Is Capital Punishment Ethical?
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Chapter 2: Is Capital Punishment Administered Fairly?
- The Death Penalty and Fairness: An Overview
- Capital Punishment Is Applied Unfairly
- Racism Influences Death- Sentence Decisions
- The Litigation Process for Capital Defendants Is Unfair
- Reforms Are Needed to Prevent the Execution of Innocent People
- Claims About the Unfairness of Capital Punishment Are Unfounded
- Capital Punishment Is Not Applied Unfairly to Blacks
- Unfair Application of Capital Punishment Does Not Justify Abolishing It
- The Death Penalty Should Be Carried Out More Promptly
- Chapter 3: Is Capital Punishment an Effective Deterrent to Crime?
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Chapter 4: Should Capital Punishment Be Abolished?
- Chapter 4 Preface
- The Death Penalty Should Be Abolished
- The Death Penalty Should Be Retained
- Capital Punishment Should Not Be Applied Unless Absolutely Necessary
- Capital Punishment Deserves Cautious Support
- Life Without Parole Is Preferable to the Death Penalty
- The Death Penalty Is Preferable to Life Without Parole
- Mentally Disadvantaged Killers Should Not Be Sentenced to Death
- The Mental Competence of a Murderer Can Be Difficult to Determine
- Organizations to Contact
- Bibliography
- Copyright
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