Sociology Web quest: The Death Penalty
Site: Arguments for and against the Death penalty.
(http://deathpenaltycurriculum.org/student/index.html)
1. Answer the four questions and reflect on each one. Why do you support/not support the death
penalty?
Stages of a Death Penalty Trial
1. What are aggravating circumstances?
2. What are mitigating circumstances?
3. What issues can a defendant petition to the State Trial Court?
4. What issue can a defendant petition to Federal District Court?
5. When would the Supreme Court get involved in a death penalty case?
History of the Death Penalty
1. Which State was the first to outlaw executions?
date?
2. Why was there an increase of the support of the death penalty between the 1920s-1940s?
Match the following cases.
A. Trop v. Dulles B. U.S. v. Jackson C. Witherspoon v. Illinois D. Furman v. Georgia E. Woodson v.
North Carolina F. Gregg v. Georgia G. Coker v. Georgia H. Atkins v. Virginia I. Batson v.
Kentucky J. Roper v. Simmons
3. ___ Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments forbid imposition of the death penalty on offenders
who were under the age of 18 when their crimes were committed.
4. ___ Death is an excessive penalty for rape.
5. ___ The interpretation of the Eighth Amendment contained an "evolving standard of decency
that marked the progress of a maturing society."
6. ____ Jurors could be disqualified if unable to make an impartial decision.
7. ___ unconstitutional for states to mandate capital punishment for those convicted of capital
crimes
8. ____ The death penalty in itself was constitutional under the Eighth Amendment.
9. ____ Since there was no discretion on who received the death penalty the Supreme Court
voided 40 death penalty statutes, thereby commuting the sentences of 629 death row inmates
10. ____Found unconstitutional that the death penalty be imposed only upon recommendation of a
jury their right to a jury trial to ensure they would not receive a death sentence.
11. ___ Unconstitutional to execute death row inmates with mental retardation.
Site: Capital Crimes (http://deathpenalty.procon.org/view.resource.php?resourceID=1172)
1. How many states currently have the Death Penalty?
2. How can one get the Death Penalty in Pennsylvania?
3. List five capital offenses that call for the Death Penalty.
4. List five little known facts about the Death Penalty
Site: Death Penalty Information by Statehttp://deathpenaltycurriculum.org/student/c/states/maps/contents.htm
Answer the five exploratory questions.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.