Capital Punishment
Capital Punishment | The State Has a Right to Execute Violent Criminals
The popular film Dead Man Walking sent more than a few ripples through the country on the topic of the death penalty. Despite the film’s well-taken point about God’s mercy, its sentimental appeal only convinced me that most arguments against the death penalty are ill-founded.
Not the overt emotional plea, the gruesomeness of the execution itself, or the film’s attempt—through the eyes of Sr. Helen Prejean—to humanize the killer shook my confidence in the state’s right to execute its most flagrant criminals.
The pope’s 1999 plea to “have mercy on...
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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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