OVERVIEW ON CAPITAL PUNISHMENT
(DEATH PENALTY)
The death penalty is defined as: The penalty of Death for the commission of a crime. Capital punishment is often a controversial and frequently debated topic. Opponents of the death penalty argue that it has led to the execution of innocent people, that life imprisonment is an effective and less expensive substitute, that it discriminates against minorities and the poor, and that it violates the criminal's right to life. Supporters believe that the penalty is justified for murderers by the principle of retribution, that life imprisonment is not an equally effective deterrent, and that the death penalty affirms the right to life by punishing those who violate it in the strictest form. This guide will provide useful resources that will include facts on the history of the death penalty, opposing views, supporters’ views and resources for you to further your knowledge on capital punishment.
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS SUBJECT HEADINGS:
Executions and executioners
Electrocution
Hanging
Punishment
Death row
KEY WORDS—SEARCH TERMS
*Hint: These key words are so strong; any term will produce great results for the topic on death penalty. Using quotations when searching two or more terms will help searching the specific terms you are looking for. (Example: Is the “death penalty” “Justice” or “Immoral”)
* Proposition 18
* Death by Lethal Injection
* Electric Chair Execution
* Death Penalty
* Capital Punishment
* Methods on Execution
WEB RESOURCES
The following link provides endless resources on capital punishment. It provides state by state information, current reports, fact sheets and provides printed articles from various states regarding recent death penalty issues.
www.Deathpenaltyinfo.org
This link provides information on why we should not enforce the death penalty. This site provides information on money spent each year to fund capital punishment and other reasons why the death penalty is not good. It provides dates on meetings, rallies, conferences for people to attend if they are anti-death penalty.
www.Deathpenalty.org
The following link is pro death penalty. It provides information about the history of the death penalty. It provides topics that are grounds for debate on why capital punishment is sufficient and should be enforced. It has access to a list of inmates currently on death row and who will be receiving the death penalty in the upcoming year. It also provides readers the name of the inmate as well as the name and story of their victims and they crime that lead them to death row.
www.Prodeathpenalty.com
PRINT RESOURCES
The following print provides information on opposing viewpoints and arguments regarding the death penalty. It provides argumentative subtopics within the subject of the death penalty.
The Death Penalty: Opposing Viewpoints. By: Diane Andrews Henningfeld
Publisher: Farmington Hills, MI: Greenhaven Press, ©2006
The following print resource provides an understanding of the present situation of the death penalty in the United States.
The Contradictions of American Capital Punishment. By: Franklin E. Zimring
Publisher: New York: Oxford University Press, 2003.
The following print resource provides history on leading U.S. Supreme Court cases on capital punishment.
Death Penalty Cases: Leading U.S. Supreme Court Cases On Capital Punishment.
By: Latzer, Barry. Publication: Boston, Mass. Butterworth-Heinemann, 1998
REFERENCE SOURCES
The following reference sources provide a great starting point for gaining basic knowledge on capital punishment.
Title: The Death Penalty
Primary Material: Book
Publisher: San Diego, CA : Greenhaven Press, c2001
Call Number: HV8694 .D382 2001
The following reference will is a great source for understanding federal and state laws on the death penalty.
Title: The death penalty : an American citizen’s guide to understanding federal and state laws
Primary Material: Book
Publisher: Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland Co., c1998.
Call Number: KF9725 .P35 1998
The following reference is a great source for understanding the history of capital punishment.
Title: A history of capital punishment, with special reference to capital punishment
Primary Material: Book
Publisher: Port Washington, N.Y., Kennikat Press [1971]
Call Number: HV8694 .P7 1971
The following is a great resource for gaining basic knowledge on the death penalty. The encyclopedia will cover all aspects of the death penalty.
Title: Encyclopedia of Death
Primary Material: Book
Publisher: Phoenix, Ariz.: Oryx Press, 1989.
Call Number: HQ1073 .E54 1989
PERIODICALS
*The following periodicals regarding the topic of “Capital Punishment” or “Death Penalty” were accessed through ProQuest. Keying in the simple search terms with no specific date range produced the following of many related newspaper articles, educational journals and magazines.
The following article focuses on the question if the death penalty is Justice or a Vengeance. This provides great information for anyone who would like to obtain information on both sides of the debate on the death penalty.
Cathleen Kaveny (2008). Justice or Vengeance: IS THE DEATH PENALTY CRUEL & UNUSUAL? Commonweal, 135(3), 9. Retrieved August 1, 2008, from Humanities Module database. (Document ID: 1433102181).
The following education journal focuses on the debate on the impact of the death penalty. This journal provides information on debating the IMPACT of the death penalty.
Compiled by EVAN R. GOLDSTEIN (2007, December). Debating the Impact of the Death Penalty. The Chronicle of Higher Education, 54(16), B4. Retrieved August 1, 2008, from ProQuest Education Journals database. (Document ID: 1409932921).
The following resource is an actual newspaper article in 1883 when they announced the inventor of and what exactly the electric chair is. It’s a great resource in providing history on the different forms of capital punishment.
An Electrical Death Chair. (1883, June 6). Los Angeles Times (1881-1886),p. 0_4. Retrieved August 1, 2008, from ProQuest Historical Newspapers Los Angeles Times (1881 - 1986) database. (Document ID: 319137662).
