CRIM 100 PSU - Chapter 13 : Death Penalty

Death Penalty

State-sanctioned punishment in which the government deliberately takes the life of a citizen.

Capital Punishment

Another term for the death penalty.

“Death Is Different”

The idea that execution is unique because it is severe

Public Support for Death Penalty

Support has declined to its lowest level in 50 years with many preferring life sentences.

Political Support Differences

Republicans are more likely than Democrats to support the death penalty.

Deterrence Argument

Claim that the death penalty prevents crime

Opposition to Death Penalty

Based on arbitrariness

Support for Death Penalty

Based on retribution and belief that it is justified for certain crimes.

Retributive Justice

Punishment philosophy focused on giving offenders what they deserve.

Historical Executions

Designed to maximize suffering and symbolically reflect the crime.

Unequal Punishment in History

Wealthier individuals often experienced less painful executions.

The Enlightenment and Punishment

Movement toward more humane

Guillotine

Execution method intended to provide quick and equal death.

Long Drop Hanging

Form of hanging designed to break the neck instantly.

Electric Chair

20th-century execution method intended to be swift and humane.

Gas Chamber

Execution method used only in the U.S.

Lethal Injection

Current primary execution method using a series of drugs to cause death.

Lethal Injection Drugs

Induce unconsciousness

Problems with Lethal Injection

Drug shortages and refusal by medical professionals.

Eighth Amendment

Constitutional ban on cruel and unusual punishment.

Death Penalty Constitutionality

The death penalty itself has been ruled constitutional.

Furman v. Georgia (1972)

Supreme Court case that halted executions due to arbitrary application.

Gregg v. Georgia (1976)

Case that reinstated the death penalty after procedural reforms.

Moratorium

Temporary halt on executions imposed by courts or governors.

Bifurcated Trial

Penalty phase gets new jury

Automatic Appeals

Supposed to protect against arbitrariness

Death-Qualified Jury

Jury screened to ensure willingness to impose the death penalty.

Evolving Standards of Decency

Principle that punishment must reflect modern societal values.

Coker v. Georgia (1977)

Ruled that rape alone is not punishable by death. - Death Penalty is only for murder.

Atkins v. Virginia (2002)

Prohibited execution of individuals with intellectual disabilities.

Roper v. Simmons (2005)

Prohibited execution of juveniles.

Federal Executions Under Trump

After a 20-year hiatus on federal executions, ____ oversaw 17

Biden

First modern president to support ending federal executions.

Innocence Project

An organization that uses DNA and legal review to overturn wrongful convictions.

Cost of the Death Penalty

More expensive than life imprisonment due to trials and appeals.

Time on Death Row

Inmates spend an average of 16 years on death row.

Average Cost per Execution

Approximately $15 million per execution.

Individualism and Punishment

Cultural belief that individuals are responsible for their actions.

Racial Disparities

Race of the victim and defendant strongly influences death penalty outcomes.

Social Threat Theory

Strong link between racial hostility and support fo death penalty – White people more likely to support it

Executions of Innocent People

Approximately 4% of death row inmates are estimated to be innocent.

Death Row Exonerations

Over 200 people have been exonerated since 1973.

Official Misconduct

A leading cause of wrongful death penalty convictions.

Perjury and False Accusations

Common factors in wrongful convictions.

Death Penalty Information Center (DPIC)

Organization that tracks executions and death row data.

Number of Executions Since 1976

Over 1,600 executions as of September 2024.

State with Most Executions

Texas leads

California Death Row

Largest death row population in the U.S.

Regional Patterns

Southern states account for the majority of executions.

Race of Victim Disparity

Most executions involve cases with white victims.

Police Chiefs on Death Penalty

Ranked it last among methods to reduce violent crime.

Alternative Punishment Preference

Majority of voters prefer life without parole over execution.

DNA Evidence

Major factor in modern exonerations since the 1990s.

Why was capital punishment historically intended to be both violent and painful as well as a public event?

It was intended to communicate right and wrong to general society.

Which of the following would be considered aggravating evidence?

killing a police officer

Sociologists find there is a strong link between support for capital punishment and which of the following?

racial hostility

In which of the following cases did the Supreme Court determine that execution of individuals under the age of 18 was a violation of the Eighth Amendment protection against cruel and unusual punishment?

Roper v. Simmons

Dorian is a royalist arrested during the French Revolution. After spending days in prison, he is led to the city square with his hands bound and led to an apparatus where he will be beheaded for his loyalties. By which method will Dorian be executed?

guillotine

Countries with a low degree of individualist beliefs tend to support tougher punishments more than those without such beliefs.

False

Lucia is accused of murdering her partner. She gathered her materials for weeks leading up to the murder, which came after years of abuse by the partner. Lucia claims she was attempting to protect their child from being abused, too. Which element of Lucia’s case is an aggravating factor?

premeditation

Electrocution represents the most humane method of execution to date.

False

Why has obtaining the combination of drugs that are necessary for administering a lethal injection been problematic?

Manufacturers have refused to sell them to prisons because of a moral objection.

The case of ______ determined that it was a violation of the Eighth Amendment protection against cruel and unusual punishment to execute a person with an intellectual disability.

Atkins v. Virginia

Early use of the electric chair was supported by Thomas Edison.

True

Why are death penalty cases so much more expensive than life in prison without parole?

The extended voir dire, the bifurcated trial, and the appeals process are much costlier.

A jury always determines whether a person should receive the death penalty as punishment.

False

Which of the following describes capital punishment in early history?

It was designed to maximize the offender’s suffering.

Who was the first U.S. president to openly oppose the death penalty?

Biden

Only used in the U.S, nowhere else in the world

Electric Chair

8th Amendment

How do the courts determine what is “cruel and
unusual” punishment?

Voir Dire

Pretrial phase is longer. Must have a death-qualified jury

Limiting Cases

Restrict ability of states to impose death penalty
without banning it outright– Relies on Eighth Amendment