Abstract
In this study, the writer examines the scientific and statistical validity of a series of studies. Each of the studies selected examines, from a statistical perspective, some aspect of the death penalty. The writer discusses various related areas of interest including statistics concerning connections between crime rates and the death penalty, homicide rates and the death penalty and also race, religion and the death penalty.

From the Paper
"Areas of interest considered included methods for excluding jurors in death penalty cases; connections between the death penalty and homicide rates; the link between religion, race, and support for the death penalty; and links between crime rate increases and the death penalty. Each study possessed scientific and statistical strengths, but unfortunately each was also marred by limitations that negatively affect the validity of these studies. Their use as references should be done with some scholarly caution."

Tags:statistics, death, penalty

Abstract
In this paper, the writer discusses the death penalty, including specific major players. The writer looks at the opinions that the liberals and conservatives have on the issue. This paper discusses what the legislative, executive, and judicial branch are doing regarding the death penalty. The writer lists pros and cons provided by conservative and liberal groups regarding the death penalty.

From the Paper
"The Supreme Court representing the judicial branch ruled that the death penalty is legal in America. In the Court struck down the capital punishment statutes of states ruling that the ways the States carried out the death penalty violated the Eighth Amendment's prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment. The Court emphasized that the way executions were conducted was unconstitutional, not the concept of execution itself. Zamgba Browne writes in the 'New York Amsterdam News' that Jesse Jackson applauded the Supreme Court decision to ban the execution ... "

Tags:death penalty, supreme court, cruel and unusual punishment, capitol punishment, statistics, racism

Abstract
The subject of this paper is how race impacts capital punishment verdicts issued by US courts. The author believes that capital punishment is powered by a system of justice that is heavily stacked against people of color. The writer cites several cases that show race as an issue in a death penalty verdicts. Additional statistics are presented that show African-Americans are executed more frequently than whites. The paper includes an extensive literature review. The author concludes that the public should be aware of the facts involved in this issue.

Outline:
Abstract
Introduction
Literature Review
Conceptualization
Methodology
Research Design
Study Group / Sample Population
Conclusion

From the Paper
"And, Adams continues, of the 221 people "executed for interracial murders, 189 - ninety-four percent - have been black." Is there a pattern of blatant racial bias reflected in these data? Adams insists that "racism...pervades America's criminal justice system," and she wonders, "How is it that racism, as one of the most deplorable features of contemporary society, is able to establish a position in the purported beacon of objectivity and neutrality that is the law?" In her research article, Adams argues that since the death penalty was "reinvented" (Furman v. Georgia in 1972), the "arbitrariness and caprice" of the "pre-Furman" era is back. "

Tags:capital, punishment, death, penalty, racism, bias, prejudice, African-Americans

Abstract
This paper provides an historical overview of the death penalty system in the United States. The author does not justify death penalty and argues that it is rather ineffective. The author uses statistical data concerning death penalty to support his opinion.

From the Paper
""One of the arguments most frequently used to justify the death penalty is deterrence. Proponents of the death penalty say that it is necessary to kill a condemned offender in order to set an example that will deter others from committing similar crimes.

If the death penalty did serve this purpose, however, if it actually did deter potential offenders from committing crimes, then states carrying out death penalties should certainly be found to have a lower rate of crime than those that do not execute their citizens."

Tags:execution, statistics, kill, condemned, offender, capital, punishment, premeditated, murder, sodomy, witchcraft, adultery, idolatry, Old, Testament, rape

Abstract
Laws are established according to the prevailing norms and customs existing in society. Thus, the law is merely a codified edict of social conformity. However, when building consensus, there is rarely, if ever, unanimous decision-making. Bias is always prevalent. Even though every citizen is equal before the law, not every citizen may be judged equally before the law. This paper illustrates this principle by using the death penalty as an example, and showing that it is racially biased and disproportionately handed down in cases involving racial minorities. It shows this through the use of statistics and by illustrating factors that lead to the discrepancy between the proportion of minorities in the population and the proportion of minorities sentenced to death in the judicial system.

From the Paper
"Since its inception, the death penalty has encountered constant opposition, and has been embroiled in court cases challenging its constitutionality. Opponents of the death penalty challenge it under the eighth amendment of the constitution, which prohibits cruel and unusual punishment. One of these most notable cases is that of Furman v. Georgia (1972). In this case, Justice Marshall, who wrote the majority opinion, explored the roots and different facets of the death penalty, and ultimately "arrived at the conclusion that the death penalty violates the Eighth Amendment..." (Furman v. Georgia, 1972). One key point of evidence was his contention that the death penalty is discriminative, and in presenting supporting evidence, he believed "that the following facts would serve even the most hesitant of citizens to condemn death as a sanction..." (Furman v. Georgia, 1972). He states that out of 3,859 people who have been executed since 1930, 1,751 were white, and 2,066 were black. 3,334 of the executions were for murder, of which 1,664 were white, and 1,630 were black."

Tags:bias, death, law, legal, marshall, opposition, penalty

Abstract
This paper examines the scientific and statistical validity of a series of studies that present statistical information on some aspect of the death penalty. It examines methods for excluding jurors in death penalty cases, connections between the death penalty and homicide rates, the link between religion, race and support for the death penalty and links between crime rate increases and the death penalty. The paper discusses the statistical strengths and weaknesses that affect the validity of the studies.

Table of Contents:
Introduction
Neises & Dilehay: "Death Qualification and Conviction Proneness"
Baumer, Messner & Rosenfeld: "Explaining Spatial Variation in Support for Capital Punishment"
Young: "Religious Orientation, Race and Support for the Death Penalty"
Rankin: "Changing Attitudes Toward Capital Punishment"

From the Paper
"Despite that honesty, there are further issues that Rankin fails to point out. For instance, the data gathered by the NORC was gathered over a period of four years. While this might seem like a lengthy period, it may not be long enough to identify large-scale social trends of the kind that this study hopes to identify. Additionally, Rankin puts a significant emphasis on who respondents voted for in presidential elections as a means of gauging their political party, political views, and general lifestyle concerns. Unfortunately, this may not be the best indicator of any of those factors. These concerns limit the effectiveness of this research."

Tags:capital, punishment, execution, conviction, homicide, race

Abstract
This paper offers a short review of the death penalty in the United States. While offering statistics and a background of the use of the death penalty, the writer leans towards the belief that the death penalty is wrong and should be stopped. The writer believes that moral and religious people must ultimately consider whether the death penalty is just or not and conclude that the death penalty is not always applied in a just way.

From the Paper
"The death penalty has been debated in the United States for some years. The United States had more than 3600 prisoners on Death Row in 2001 Floyd, 2001), and since the death penalty can never be the automatic sentence for a crime in the United States, over 3600 juries had to individually determine that death was the appropriate sentence for every one of those prisoners. Nevertheless, those who study the issue cannot help but notice that very few countries still use the death penalty, and only three countries in addition to the United States executed any prisoners: China, Iran, and the Congo."

Tags:ethics, moral, crime, row, capital, prison, sentence, jury

Abstract
The paper outlines the history of capital punishment in the United States and considers the moral and spiritual perspective on this means of punishment. The paper discusses the crimes punishable by the death sentence, the methods of execution that are utilized and the important Supreme Court decisions on the death penalty. The paper then addresses the claim of discrimination on the basis of color and sex. The paper comes to the conclusion that our modern world needs some standards of justice which are uniformly accepted and applied, with the death penalty a suitable punishment for murder.

Outline:
Death penalty- Definition, Status in US, Supreme Courts, Eighth Amendment
History of Capital Punishment in the United States
Death Penalty in History, Statistics, Documentation
Moral Issues and the Spiritual Angle
Public Opinion, Comments by Eminent Citizens and Spiritual Leaders
Crimes Punishable by Death Sentence in the US
Modes of Execution
Supreme Court Decisions
Discriminatory Attitudes
Conclusion

From the Paper
"The death penalty, also known as capital punishment is reserved for crimes which are exceptionally cruel in nature. The purpose is to send a message to the society that heinous crimes will not be tolerated in a civilized country. Many developed countries have abolished the death penalty altogether but it continues to be a valid mode of punishment in the United States. The Congress or any state legislature in the United States is empowered to prescribe the capital punishment for murder as well as other capital crimes (cornell.edu). Although the Eighth amendment of the constitution has specified the disuse of cruel and unusual punishment, the Supreme Court of the United States has ruled that the death penalty does not violate the amendment per se but lays down certain preconditions under which the jury must follow certain procedural details and the manner in which the execution is to be carried out. The US supreme Court lays down specific guidelines for proportionality of punishment according to the crime which if not followed may violate the provisions of the Eighth Amendment which prohibits cruel and unusual punishment. The gravity of the offense and the stringency of punishment, the general pattern of punishment by a particular jurisdiction and its comparison with other jurisdictions in awarding punishment for similar crimes are evaluated for proportionality analysis (cornell.edu). Nevertheless, there are proponents as well as detractors of capital punishment in the modern American Society."

Tags:punishment, execution, juveniles, discrimination, justice, murder

Abstract
This paper explains the controversial issue of the death penalty. It begins by providing a history of capital punishment and then looks at recent court rulings related to it. Arguments both for and against the death penalty are presented. The writer explains that because it is such an open-ended controversial issue, people's opinions are shifted quite easily.
Introduction
History
Recent Rulings
Statistics
Arguments against the Death Penalty
Arguments in Favor of the Death Penalty
Conclusions

From the Paper
"Of all the arguments against the death penalty, the possibility that it is either biased against certain groups or that innocent people might be executed seem to be the strongest arguments. Of all the arguments in favor of the death penalty, the one suggesting that society's safety must come first seems the most compelling. But in the United States, the final arbiter of our laws is our Constitution. The Supreme Court is charged with interpreting that document, not only in terms of what the individual drafters had in mind but in light of today's realities. The Supreme Court, over and over, has ruled that the death penalty by itself is not unconstitutional. It would not be possible to argue that the founding fathers were opposed to the death penalty, because as seen by the example of Canada, those areas ruled by Britain had laws allowing the death penalty for a wide variety of crimes."

Tags:supreme, court, ruling, capital, punishment

Abstract
This paper explains that since ancient times the death penalty for various types of crimes and in various forms of execution has been used by societies especially societies, which were based on scriptural rules often tied up in religion and providing a public spectacle. The author points out several arguments against the death penalty such as (1) racial discrimination, which is striking when examining the statistics of over-representation by minority and low-come persons sitting on death row and (2) the irreversible nature of the death penalty especially since many people on death row have later been declared innocent. The paper states that state-sponsored execution draws criticism from international sources -- only China and Iran are ahead of the U.S. in terms of state-sanctioned execution.

From the Paper
"Currently, the majority of states in the U.S. do have the death penalty as a system of state-sponsored execution. Traditionally, the south has tended to be more pro-death-penalty, and racial lines of division are also traditionally highlighted in this region. An overrepresentation of minorities on death row is accepted by most sources as a statistically proven fact, and only a few sources disagree. Added to this is that most sources also tend to agree that there is not clear evidence of the death penalty acting as a deterrent in these cases. Agencies such as Amnesty International have spread educational measures regarding the reprehensible nature of the death penalty and the need for its abolition. Although methods of execution have changed, the belief in the death penalty as an effective deterrent has remained fairly constant domestically, especially in Texas and in the south where the death penalty tends to be used more often. Some sources, such as Sorell, in his rather over-philosophical estimation of the death penalty, which relies more on Kant and Miller than the present, do not take this reality into account at all in the text."

Tags:scriptural, spectacle, racial-discrimination, over-representation, international