Death Penalty
Katie Schofield
John Grib
Doug MacDonald
Introduction
 “Sentence of death upon a person by
the state as a punishment for an
offence”
 Crimes punishable by death are called
capital crimes or offences
 Currently 58 countries practice the
death penalty
History
 Used in colonial America for murders and
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other crimes
Karla Faye Tucker: first woman to be
executed in Texas
Furman vs. Georgia- 1972 ruled all capital
punishment unconstitutional. Determined to
be “cruel and unusual”
1976- death penalty was reinstated as
constitutional
By 2009 1,167 prisoners had been executed
in the U.S.
Pros
 Helps deter crime
 Is an appropriate punishment- serves justice
 Not using death penalty risks criminals killing
again
 Helps control over population in prisons
Cons
 Religions believe all killing is wrong
 Bad way to teach that killing is wrong
 Biased (those sentenced to death are mostly
men, minorities, and people who can’t afford
a good defense team
 Expensive ($2-3.5 million to execute one
person)
 Some argue it isn’t a significant deterrent
 Possibility of executing innocent people
Interest Groups
 Amnesty International- working to abolish the death
penalty
 They believe it is a denial of human rights
 Campaigns to abolish the death penalty
 Focus on individual cases, supporting repeal
efforts
 Justice for All (prodeathpenalty.com) - pro death
penalty
 Exert social and legislative influence
 An organization to reform the criminal justice
system through private and corporate membership
Evidence/ Statistics
 Pro
Evidence/ Statistics
 Con
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Costs
• The California death penalty system costs taxpayers $114 million per
year beyond the costs of keeping convicts locked up for life.
Taxpayers have paid more than $250 million for each of the state’s
executions. (L.A. Times, March 6, 2005)
• In Kansas, the costs of capital cases are 70% more expensive than
comparable non-capital cases, including the costs of incarceration.
(Kansas Performance Audit Report, December 2003).
• In Maryland, an average death penalty case resulting in a death sentence
costs approximately $3 million. The eventual costs to
Maryland taxpayers for cases pursued 1978-1999 will be $186 million.
Five executions have resulted. (Urban Institute 2008).
Evidence/ Statistics
Evidence/ Statistics
 • A comprehensive study of the death penalty in North
Carolina found that the odds of receiving a death sentence
rose by 3.5 times among those defendants whose victims
were white. (Prof. Jack Boger and Dr. Isaac Unah,
University of North Carolina, 2001).
 • A study in California found that those who killed whites
were over 3 times more likely to be sentenced to death than
those who killed blacks and over 4 times more likely than
those who killed Latinos. (Pierce & Radelet, Santa Clara
Law Review 2005).
Evidence/ Statistics
Evidence/ Statistics
Recent Developments
 Death sentences are at their lowest rates since 1976
 Illinois signed an abolition bill of the death penalty in
2011
 It looks like Connecticut will be the next state to
abolish the death penalty
 Current Governor Dannel Malloy said he would sign a
death penalty bill if passed by the House and Senate.
 North Carolina Governor Beverly Perdue vetoed a bill
that would essentiall repeal a former bill that gave
death row inmates a new way to argue that their skin
color influenced their sentences
Bibliography
 White, Deborah. "Pros & Cons of the Death Penalty and Capital
Punishment." Liberal & Progressive Politics & Perspectives. Web. 15
Dec. 2011.
<http://usliberals.about.com/od/deathpenalty/i/DeathPenalty.htm>.
 "Death Penalty." Issues & Controversies On File: n. pag. Issues &
Controversies. Facts On File News Services, 1 May 1998. Web. 15
Dec. 2011. <http://www.2facts.com/article/i0300920>.
 "Abolish the Death Penalty | Amnesty International USA." Amnesty
International USA | Protect Human Rights. Web. 15 Dec. 2011.
<http://www.amnestyusa.org/our-work/campaigns/abolish-the-deathpenalty?id=1011005>.
 Justice For All - A Criminal Justice Reform Organization. Web. 15 Dec.
2011. <http://www.jfa.net/index.html>.
Bibliography
 Baynes, Terry. "Study Finds Death Penalty Use in Decline|
Reuters." Business & Financial News, Breaking US &
International News | Reuters.com. 15 Dec. 2011. Web. 16 Dec.
2011. <http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/12/15/us-studyfinds-death-penalty-idUSTRE7BE29M20111215>.
 "Executing Prisoners From a Financial Viewpoint « Stew!" Stew!
Web. 16 Dec. 2011.
<http://bradnehring.wordpress.com/2011/01/24/executingprisoners-from-a-financial-viewpoint/>.
 "What We Sacrifice on Death Row - SFGate." Featured Articles
From The SFGate. 30 June 2008. Web. 16 Dec. 2011.
<http://articles.sfgate.com/2008-0630/opinion/17164745_1_death-penalty-penalty-systemexecutions>.