LibGuides: Civics CBA: Death Penalty/Capital Punishment

Death Penalty

Guiding Questions

Does the death penalty violate the Eight Amendment?

Is capital punishment necessary?

Do you believe the death penalty is more of a deterrent or a punishment?

Should there be so many opportunities for those on death row to appeal their sentence? Why or why not?

When considering whether the United States should allow capital punishment, should the fact that most of its allies, including members of the European Union, have outlawed the practice be taken into consideration? Why or why not?

"Capital Punishment: Discussion Questions." Issues: Understanding Controversy and Society. ABC-CLIO, 2011. Web. 22 Nov. 2011.

ProQuest Staff. "At Issue: Death Penalty/Capital Punishment." ProQuest LLC. 2011: n.pag. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 22 Nov 2011.

Databases

SIRS: Death Penalty/Capital Punishment

On the Web

Death Penalty Information Center
Founded in 1990, the Death Penalty Information Center (DPIC) is a non-profit organization that provides news, analysis, and general information on issues concerning capital punishment. On the DPIC Web site, you can find fact sheets, reports, press releases, and current news stories.

Criminal Justice Legal Foundation
The Criminal Justice Legal Foundation (CJLF) is an organization that promotes balance between the rights of victims and of criminal defendants. Visit the group's Web site for links to articles about the death penalty as well as press releases and publications relating to criminal punishment.
Amnesty International
Amnesty International was founded in 1961 as a campaign for fighting human rights abuses around the world. The organization believes that the death penalty violates internationally recognized human rights. Visit their death penalty forum to find information about capital punishment worldwide and resources for those who oppose the death penalty.
American Civil Liberaties Union
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is an organization that seeks to protect constitutional freedoms like the First Amendment right to free speech and the Fourteenth Amendment right to equal protection under the law. Visit the ACLU Web site to learn more about the Capital Punishment Project (CPP), an ACLU initiative that is dedicated to reforming and ultimately repealing the death penalty.
Juvenile Death Penalty Among Cases to Be Heard in New Supreme Court Term ;
Check out this online publication from the NewsHour that brings current events into the classroom with a fresh perspective. This week EXTRA reports on the U.S. Supreme Court deciding if states can legally execute people who commit murder before they turn eighteen." (PBS) Also on the docket are cases about medical marijuana and drug-sniffing dogs.
Death Penalty Information; Michigan State University
This Web site and its accompanying materials are designed to assist both teachers and students in an exploration of capital punishment, presenting arguments for and against its use, as well as issues of ethics and justice that surround it." (UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN)
Angel on Death Row; Frontline, Public Broadcasting Service (PBS)
Angel on Death Row" explores the issue of the death penalty through the story of Sister Helen Prejean. Taking her novel, "Dead Man Walking" and the movie made from it as a starting point this site explores the pros and cons of the death penalty. A chronology of the death penalty in the United States is among the unique features of this site. Overall, this site gives a very balanced treatment to the issue of capital punishment.

Washington State Laws

Chapter 10.95 RCW: Capital punishment — aggravated first degree murder

KCLS Resources

Opposing Viewpoints in Context
Articles, topic overviews, statistics, primary documents, and links to websites - all on social issues - from 'Opposing Viewpoints' and other reference sources. Formerly Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center.

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Primary Source Reference Collection
Primary source-themed reference books from the Gale Virtual Reference Library.
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