Death Penalty in US Research Paper

Death Penalty in US
A research paper on the history and current use of the death penalty in the US.
# 144959 | 2,703 words | 8 sources | MLA | 2010 | IN
Published on Oct 20, 2010 in Political Science (U.S.) , Criminology (Juvenile Justice) , Criminology (Criminal Justice and Corrections) , Hot Topics (Capital Punishment)


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Description:

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."

Sample of Sources Used:

  • Authorized Methods, Death Penalty Information Center, online information accessed march 21, 2010 at: http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/methods-execution
  • Bruck, D., The Death Penalty, Online article accessed March 21, 2010 at: http://www.faulkner.edu/admin/websites/cwarmack/bruck.pdf, 1985
  • Death penalty: An Overview, online article accessed March 22, 2010 at: http://topics.law.cornell.edu/wex/death_penalty
  • History of the Death Penalty & Recent Developments, online article accessed March 21, 2010 at: http://justice.uaa.alaska.edu/death/history.html#supremecourt
  • Johnson, C.; Welch Emma, Should the death penalty apply to juveniles? Online case report accessed March 22, 2010 at: http://www.sandi.net/depts/literacy/unitsofstudy/grade8/unit2/texts/death_penalty.pdf, New York Times Upfront, 2002.

Cite this Research Paper:

APA Format

Death Penalty in US (2010, October 20) Retrieved December 03, 2023, from https://www.academon.com/research-paper/death-penalty-in-us-144959/

MLA Format

"Death Penalty in US" 20 October 2010. Web. 03 December. 2023. <https://www.academon.com/research-paper/death-penalty-in-us-144959/>

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