NCJ Number
138231
Journal
Loyola University of Los Angeles Law Review Volume: 23 Issue: 1 Dated: (November 1989) Pages: complete issue
Editor(s)
K T Mulville
Date Published
1989
Length
461 pages
Annotation
These seven papers examine capital punishment with respect to United States Supreme Court decisions, State legislation, and empirical evidence relating to costs and benefits, deterrence, and the dangerousness of death row inmates.
Abstract
An analysis of the prison and parole behavior of the inmates in 30 States who were commuted by the Supreme Court decision in Furman v. Georgia concludes that potential future dangerousness is not a plausible justification for imposing the death penalty. Additional papers question the uncritical acceptance of Stephen Layson's conclusion that every execution deters up to 18 homicides, conclude that the death penalty is not an economical alternative to life imprisonment, and argue that the Old and New Testaments of the Bible have been distorted as a justification for the death penalty. Other papers discuss the difficulties attorneys face when representing defendants in capital cases, argue that the adept use of voir dire can ensure juror impartiality, and examine postconviction remedies. Figures, tables, and footnotes