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Browsing Documents Related to 'Capital Punishment'

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2011
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The Death Penalty: Specific Issues
University of Alaska, Anchorage. Justice Center (Anchorage, AK).
This website provides a great collection of links to various resources, both pro and con, regarding capital punishment. These links are organized into the following areas: deterrence; retribution and justice for murder victims; executing the innocent; limiting appeals and habeas corpus reform; cost of the death penalty; alternative sentencing; fairness of the death penalty; moratorium on the death penalty; specific populations; and cruel and unusual punishment.... Read More
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15 pages
2011
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The Truth About Life Without Parole: Condemned to Die in Prison
American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California (San Francisco, CA).
“The facts prove that life in prison without the possibility of parole (LWOP) is swift, severe, and certain punishment” (p.1). This article explains the following points: LWOP is a certain sentence in which prisoners are not released early; victims’ families prefer LWOP because it is a swift sentence; death in prison is a severe sentence; LWOP saves money; and death in prison protects against wrongful execution.... Read More
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2 pages
2011
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Executing the Will of the Voters?: A Roadmap To Mend or End the California Legislature’s Multi-Billion-Dollar Death Penalty Debacle
By Alarcon, Arthur L.; Mitchell, Paula M..
While this article looks at the death penalty in California, it gives other states good suggestions for dealing with problems in their own death penalty systems. Sections of this paper include: bulldozing barriers and unearthing hidden costs—how much California taxpayers are really paying for the State’s illusory death penalty; paved with good intentions—the legislative history of the death penalty in California; hazardous conditions ahead—potential state and federal constitutional issues arisin... Read More
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184 pages
2011
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The U.S. Military Death Penalty
Death Penalty Information Center (DPIC) (Washington, DC).
Information regarding the U.S. military’s use of the death penalty is provided at this website. Points of entry include: facts and figures; case descriptions; executions in the military; overview of the U.S. military’s death penalty system; racial disparities in the system; additional information; and news and developments.... Read More
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2011
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Death Sentences and Executions 2010
Amnesty International (London, England).
There were 527 executions reported in 2010 from 23 countries (the U.S. with the fourth largest number) and 2024 new death sentences imposed in 67 countries (the U.S. being seventh). There are 139 countries that have abolished the death sentence. Sections of this report include: the global picture of the use of the death penalty in 2010; regional overviews—Americas, Asia-Pacific, Europe and Central Asia, Middle East and North Africa, and Sub-Saharan Africa; reported death sentences and execution... Read More
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60 pages
2011
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Struck by Lightning: The Continuing Arbitrariness of the Death Penalty Thirty-Five Years After Its Re-instatement in 1976
By Dieter, Richard C.. Death Penalty Information Center (DPIC) (Washington, DC).
This report explains why the death penalty is “unworkable in practice” and stands little to no chance of repair regardless of what reforms and money are applied to it. Sections following an executive summary are: introduction—history of the modern death penalty; 35 years later—the unfairness of the death penalty in practice; the great divide—who is executed, who is spared; the judgment of experts; influences on the decision for death—race, geography, politics, costs, and others; and conclusion.... Read More
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38 pages
2011
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Posthumous Pardons Granted in American History
By Greenspan, Stephen. Dealth Penalty Information Center (DPIC) (Washington, DC).
Posthumous pardons have been granted 20 times for 107 people, 12 of whom were executed. This paper describes the occurrences and reasons for the pardons. Pardons covered include those in Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Montana, Nebraska, New York, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas and the United States federal system.... Read More
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15 pages
2011
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Capital Punishment, 2010 - Statistical Tables
By Snell, Tracey L.. U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics (Washington, DC).
Information is provided about people under sentence of death or executed during 2010. Highlights include: four sates (California, Florida, Texas, and Pennsylvania) hold over half of the total inmates on death row of which 55% are white and 42% are black; 12 states executed 46 inmates; and lethal injection is authorized in every state with capital punishment. Tables cover: capital offenses by state; method of execution; federal capital offenses; prisoners under sentence of death by region, jurisd... Read More
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2010
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Lethal Injection Procedures
California Dept. of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Office of Research (Sacramento, CA).
The protocol for using lethal injection in California’s prisons is explained. Steps in the process are: actions taken when the execution order is received; pre-execution reports; sanity review requests; the last 24 hours; and the execution. Also included is a description of the execution chamber and specified witnesses.... Read More
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2 p.
2010
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The Death Penalty in 2010: Year End Report
Death Penalty Information Center (DPIC) (Washington, DC).
Year end 2010 statistics regarding the death penalty are provided. Sections of this report include: quick statistics for the death penalty, executions since 1976, and public opinion; executions slowed by lethal injection controversy; Texas use drops as evidence points to mistakes; death sentences remain near historic lows; death row inmates by state; economics casts new light on the death penalty; arbitrariness persists; notable quotes; editorials; and conclusion. Sixty-one percent (61%) of Amer... Read More
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8 pages
2010
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Death Penalty for Female Offenders, January 1, 1973, Through October 31, 2010
By Streib, Victor. Death Penalty Information Center (DPIC) (Washington, DC).
Statistics related to females and the death penalty are presented. Sections of this report include: recent developments (as of October 31, 2010); screening female offenders from the death penalty; death sentences imposed upon female offenders in during 2010; executions of female offenders; characteristics of offenders and of their victims; and case summaries for female offenders under death sentences.... Read More
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25 pages
2010
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Death in Decline ’09: Los Angeles Holds California Back as Nation Shifts to Permanent Imprisonment
By Minsker, Natasha; Zamora, Ana; Silverstein, Nicole. American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California (San Francisco, CA).
California sent more people to death row in 2009 than in the previous seven years with Los Angeles County sentencing the most individuals in the country. The costs per year associated with keeping 700 people on death row in California could be used to provide one million children with health care. The need to shift away from the death penalty in this time of fiscal crisis is explained by this report. Sections following an executive summary are: California death sentences in 2009; a crisis within... Read More
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18 pages
2010
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The Racial Geography of the Federal Death Penalty
By Cohen, G. Ben; Smith, Robert J..
Anyone interested in issues related the death penalty should read this article. Sections following an abstract are: blacks are disproportionately impacted by federal death penalty prosecution, especially in counties demographically different from surrounding federal district; county-level juries, as opposed to juries drawn from the entire federal district, maintain the link between community values and the imposition of capital punishment; districts with the highest death sentencing rates tend t... Read More
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68 pages
2010
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Capital Punishment: Deterrent Effects & Capital Costs
By Fagan, Jeffrey A.. Columbia Law School. Center for Crime, Community, and Law (New York, NY).
In a time of severe budget cuts, and with each execution costing between $2.5 and $5 million, the benefits of capital punishment are being critically examined. This article argues that capital punishment has little deterrent effect and that funds spent on it can be better utilized elsewhere in the criminal justice system. In particular, the author points out critical flaws in those deterrence studies that seem to suggest that capital punishment has some impact on homicide rates; flaws ranging fr... Read More
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3 pages
2009
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Lethal Injection and the Problem of Constitutional Remedies
By Berger, Eric.
This article explains why constitutional remedies are needed to address "serious flaws" in lethal injection practices. Sections following an abstract are: introduction; an overview of lethal injection -- the three-drug protocol and the Supreme Court's fractured decision in Baze v. Rees; remedial anxieties and lethal injection; political process failures and the need for judicial intervention; the modesty of lethal injection remedies; and conclusion.... Read More
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65 p.
2009
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Science and the Death Penalty: DNA, Innocence, and the Debate over Capital Punishment in the United States
By Aronson, Jay D.; Cole, Simon A..
The implication that results from DNA testing are more "true" due to their scientific nature is examined. Sections in addition to an abstract include: introduction; the age of innocence; a new kind of exoneration; DNA profiling; the authority of "science"; epistemological closure; the double-edged sword of science; DNA as a "truth machine"; and conclusion.... Read More
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32 p.
2009
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Race, Death and Disproportionality
By Howe, Scott W..
The author's intent is "to explain why statistical studies concerning race bias in capital selection have limitations as proof but also strong suggestive power that some death sentences amount to 'cruel and unusual punishments'" (p. 1). Sections of this paper include: the deserts limitation in the Eighth Amendment -- the government can only impose a death sentence on the person who deserves it; the capital selection process and the deserts limitation; the statistical studies of racial influence... Read More
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25 p.
2009
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Capital Punishment, 2008 - Statistical Tables
U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics (Washington, DC).
... Read More
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2009
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Smart on Crime: Reconsidering the Death Penalty in a Time of Economic Crisis
By Dieter, Richard C.. Death Penalty Information Center (Washington, DC).
The “prospect of saving states hundreds of millions of dollars by ending the death penalty” is examined (p. 6). Sections following an executive summary: introduction; the views of law enforcement—police chiefs poll regarding the death penalty; the crisis facing state criminal justice systems; how much the death penalty costs--on average $11 million to $250 million per case; the costs of the death penalty cannot be reduced; why the death penalty costs so much; what society receives in return; and... Read More
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28 p.
2009
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Death Sentences and Executions in 2008
Amnesty International (London, England).
The worldwide practice of capital punishment is examined. This report is divided into these sections: overview; countdown to a death penalty free world; the global picture; positive trends -- moving towards global abolition of the death penalty; regional trends for Asia, the Middle East and North Africa, the Americas, Sub-Sahara Africa, and Europe and Central Asia; reported executions for 2008; and reported death sentences for 2008.... Read More
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30 p.
2009
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For Execution Methods Challenges, the Road to Abolition is Paved with Paradox
By Denno, Deborah W.. Fordham University. School of Law (New York, NY).
Issues surrounding legal challenges to the use of lethal injection are discussed. This chapter contains sections covering: background; brief history of execution methods; lethal injection's perplexing perpetuation -- how states resist changing execution methods, surge in lethal injection challenges, role of medical professionals, and lessons learned from lethal injection challenges; the Supreme Court rules -- perspective on Baze v. Rees; and conclusion. "This chapter suggests that lethal inject... Read More
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47 p.
2009
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Herald of Change: New Jersey's Repeal of the Death Penalty
By Conk, George W.. Fordham University. School of Law (New York, NY).
The abolishment of the death penalty in New Jersey is described. This paper is divided into seven parts: introduction; treating like cases alike -- proportionality review; reflections on proportionality review; courts, legislators, and the citizenry; constitutional impossibility; repeal; and conclusion -- why New Jersey -- the bellweather state.... Read More
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47 p.
2009
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Smart on Crime: Reconsidering the Death Penalty in a Time of Economic Crisis
Death Penalty Information Center (Washington, DC).
This report explains how states can save hundreds of millions of dollars by getting rid of the death penalty. Sections following an executive summary include: introduction; the views of law enforcement—Police Chiefs poll; the crisis facing state criminal justice systems; how much the death penalty costs; costs associated with the death penalty cannot be reduced without jeopardizing basic legal rights; why the death penalty costs so much; what society is receiving in return; and conclusion. The d... Read More
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28 pages
2008
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Symposium: Legislation, Litigation, Reflection & Repeal: The Legislative Abolition of the Death Penalty in New Jersey
Proceedings regarding the repeal of New Jersey’s death penalty are presented. Sections are: introductory note; timeline; speaker biographies; “Herald of Change? New Jersey's Repeal of the Death Penalty” by George W. Cook; Call to Order and Welcome; “Keynote Address: The Dynamic Interaction Between Courts, Legislature, and Public Opinion” by James R. Zazzali; “Panel I: The Struggle in the Courtroom”: “Panel II: The Death Penalty on Appeal: Constitutionality, Equality, and Proportionality Review”;... Read More
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180 p.
2008
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The Cost of the Death Penalty in Maryland
By Roman, John; Chalfin, Aaron; Sundquist, Aaron; Knigh, Carly; Darmenov, Askar. Abell Foundation (Baltimore, MD). Urban Institute. Justice Policy Center (Washington, DC).
The prison and adjudication costs in Maryland of capital-eligible cases with and without the application of the death penalty are determined. This report has these sections: abstract; executive summary; the cost of the death penalty; and results. The cost of a capital-eligible case without the death penalty costs $1.1 million; unsuccessfully seeking the death penalty costs $1.8 million; and a case resulting in the death penalty will cost around $3 million.... Read More
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64 p.
2008
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The Hidden Death Tax: The Secret Costs of Seeking Execution in California
By Minsker, Natasha. American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California (San Francisco, CA).
Costs associated with administering the death penalty, in particular trial expenses, are determined. Sections following an executive summary are: introduction; why the death penalty costs more; what is known about the costs of California's death penalty; recommendations for reform -- revealing the hidden costs; and cost breakdown for trials with most comprehensive accounting. It costs at least $1.1 million more to seek the death penalty than not.... Read More
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43 p.
2008
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Death by Geography: A County by County Analysis of the Road to Execution in California
By Ganschow, Romy. American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California (San Francisco, CA).
The capricious nature of the death penalty as practices in California is shown by this report about the ten counties that continue to sentence people to death. An executive summary data analysis, and fact sheets comprise this report. Fact sheets include county death sentences 2000-2007, Alameda, Contra Costa, Kern, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, Sacramento, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Barbara, Santa Clara, Tulare, and Ventura. The report finds California's death p... Read More
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27 p.
2008
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Anesthetizing the Public Conscience: Lethal Injection and Animal Euthanasia
By Alper, Ty.
The author argues that the unnecessary and inhumane use of pancuronium or similar paralyzing drugs for human lethal injections is illustrated by the ban on their use in the euthanasia of animals. This article is divided into five parts: the problem with curare, a neuromuscular blocking agent; the aesthetic-only procedure for animal euthanasia; state animal euthanasia laws -- a consensus against curate; legislative history -- familiar arguments against curariform drugs; and conclusion.... Read More
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48 p.
2008
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Report and Recommendations on the Administration of the Death Penalty in California
California Commission on the Fair Administration of Justice (Santa Clara, CA).
Issues related to the dysfunction of the death policy process in California are discussed. Contents include: introduction -- charge and nature of inquiry; summary of recommendations; why the system is broken, and what it will take to fix it; available alternatives; administrative reforms; and conclusion. An appendix provides "Federal Grants of Relief in California Capital Cases."... Read More
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143 p.
2008
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Letter to Bureau of Prisons Director Lappin Regarding "Grossly Inadequate Conditions" in the Federal Death Row at United States Prison Terra Haute
By Eber, Gabriel B.. American Civil Liberties Union Foundation. National Prison Project (Washington, DC).
Potential violations of the Eighth Amendment's proscription against cruel and unusual punishment occurring at the Special Confinement Unit (SCU) at USP-Terre Haute are described. Sections of this complaint are: evidence of deliberate indifference to serious medical needs -- provision of health care (i.e., response to medical emergencies, access to acute care and sick call, referrals to specialists, care for prisoners with diabetes, medications, infectious disease, preventive health care, and do... Read More
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30 p.
2008
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Capital Punishment, 2007 -- Statistical Tables
By Snell, Tracy L.. U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics (Washington, DC).
Characteristics of individuals sentenced to die as of December 31, 2007 along with those individuals executed during 2006 are presented. These tables provide information about: capital offenses, by state, 2007; method of execution, by state, 2007; federal capital offenses, 2007; prisoners under sentence of death, by region, state, and race, 2006 and 2007; demographic characteristics of prisoners under sentence of death, 2007; Hispanics and women under sentence of death, by state, 2006 and 2007; ... Read More
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35 p.


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