NCJ Number
146126
Date Published
1991
Length
208 pages
Annotation
After providing an overview of the history and debates associated with capital punishment, this book presents a broad spectrum of resources on the subject.
Abstract
The first chapter is an introduction to capital punishment. It consists of seven sections. One section traces the development and use of capital punishment since earliest times. Another section reviews the status of the death penalty in the United States, and a third section examines the criminal justice system that administers the death penalty. Other sections address issues in the debate over capital punishment, the relationship of the religious community to the debate, the international status of capital punishment, and future trends in the use of capital punishment. The second chapter presents a chronological account of the significant events in the evolution of capital punishment in America since the early 1920's. Summaries of what are generally considered the most significant court cases on the death penalty to date are presented in the third chapter. Chapter four contains biographical sketches on a cross-section of significant persons in the history of capital punishment in the United States. Each entry provides the birth date and, when applicable, date of death; the relationships of the person to the issue of capital punishment; and the person's pertinent involvement and impact. Part II is a guide to research. It contains information on capital punishment, an extensive annotated bibliography, and a list of organizations and associations concerned with capital punishment. Appended acronyms, a chart of the Federal court system and State court system, the status of capital punishment by State, executions since 1977, and a subject index