Title
Debating the death penalty : should America have capital punishment? : The experts on both sides make their best case / edited by Hugo Adam Bedau and Paul G. Cassell.
ISBN
0195169832
Imprint
New York : Oxford University Press, 2004.
Language
English
Description
xiii, 242 p. : ill. ; 24 cm.
Call Number
HV8699.U5 D635 2004
Dewey Decimal Classification
364.66/0973
Summary
When news breaks that a convicted murderer, released from prison, has killed again, or that an innocent person has escaped the death chamber in light of new DNA evidence, arguments about capital punishment inevitably heat up. Few controversies continue to stir as much emotion as this one, and public confusion is often the result. This volume brings together seven experts -- judges, lawyers, prosecutors, and philosophers -- to debate the death penalty in a spirit of open inquiry and civil discussion. Here, as the contributors present their reasons for or against capital punishment, the multiple facets of the issue are revealed in clear and thought-provoking detail. Is the death penalty a viable deterrent to future crimes? Does the imposition of lesser penalties, such as life imprisonment, truly serve justice in cases of the worst offences? Does the legal system discriminate against poor or minority defendants? Is the possibility of executing innocent persons sufficient grounds for abolition? In confronting such questions and making their arguments, the contributors marshal an impressive array of evidence, both statistical and from their own experiences working on death penalty cases. The book also includes the text of Governor George Ryan's March 2002 speech in which Ryan explained why he had commuted the sentences of all prisoners on Illinois's death row. By representing the viewpoints of experts who face the vexing questions about capital punishment on a daily basis, Debating the Death Penalty makes a vital contribution to a more nuanced understanding of the moral and legal problems underlying this controversy.
Bibliography, etc. Note
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Introduction
Tinkering with death / Alex Kozinski
An abolitionist's survey of the death penalty in America today / Hugo Adam Bedau
Why the death penalty is morally permissible / Louis P. Pojman
Close to death : reflections on race and capital punishment in America / Bryan Stevenson
Truth and consequences : the penalty of death / Joshua K. Marquis
Why the United States will join the rest of the world in abandoning capital punishment / Stephen B. Bright
In defense of the death penalty / Paul G. Cassell
"I must act" / George Ryan.
