Whittemore Library: Researching Controversial Social & Political Issues: Death Penalty

Backgroud Info & Facts

Here are selected reference sources and academic books, that contain information about the Death Penalty debate, available at the Whittemore Library.

Capital Punishment
Covers the history of capital punishment plus discussions of numerous court cases, legal decisions, and historical statistics. Also includes information about execution methods, minors and the death penalty, public attitudes, and capital punishment around the world.

Useful Books

The Death Penalty: An American History

Ebsco eBooks

Killing with Prejudice: Institutionalized Racism in American Capital Punishment

Ebsco eBooks

A Descending Spiral: Exposing the Death Penalty in 12 Essays

Ebsco eBooks

Dead Man Walking: An Eyewitness Account of the Death Penalty in the United States

HV 8699 .U5 P74 1993

In the Shadow of Death: Restorative Justice and Death Row Families

HV 8699 U5 B393 2007

Opinions & Viewpoints

Here are some top online websites that offer various points of view about the Death Penalty debate. They are organized according to their general bias.

More Balanced (Multiple Viewpoints)

Death Penalty Information Center
A national non-profit organization serving the media and the public with analysis and information on issues concerning capital punishment.
Gallup: Death Penalty
Recent United States public opinion trends collected by Gallup, the global analytics and advice firm.
Pew Research Center: Death Penalty
Pew Research Center reports and data on capital punishment, including long-term trends on public opinion.
ProCon.Org - Death Penalty
Arguments both for AND against capital punishment.

Pro Death Penalty Viewpoints

Arguments in Favour of Capital Punishment
A breakdown of the arguments given in favour of keeping (or reintroducing) the death penalty from the BBC ethics guide.
The Death Penalty as Delineated by the Old Testament
PDF scan from the author's website of a USA Today cover story by Death Penalty proponent Robert Blecker.
Why is a murder trial here so much more likely to end with a death sentence?
Article from the Cincinatti Enquirer about Hamilton County's unique history with capital punishment.

Anti Death Penalty Viewpoints

Amnesty International - Death Penalty
The Death Penalty page from Amnesty International, the international human rights group.
National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty
The National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty’s mission is to abolish the death penalty in the United States and support efforts to abolish the death penalty worldwide.
The Death Penalty in the USA
Anti-Death Penalty Activist Nick McKeown's 2016 TEDx Talk at LosGatos High School. (23:39)