Main description:

Capital punishment is one of the more controversial subjects in the social sciences, especially in criminal justice and criminology. Over the last decade or so, the United States has experienced a significant decline in the number of death sentences and executions. Since 2007, six states have abolished capital punishment, bringing the total number to 18, plus the District of Columbia, and more are likely to follow suit in the near future. Worldwide, 70 percent of countries have abolished capital punishment in law or in practice. The current trend suggests the eventual demise of capital punishment in all but a few recalcitrant states and countries. Within this context, a fresh look at capital punishment in the United States and worldwide is warranted.
The Handbook on Capital Punishment comprehensively examines the topic of capital punishment from a wide variety of perspectives. A thoughtful introductory chapter from experts Bohm and Lee presents a contextual framework for the subject matter, and chapters present state-of-the art analyses of a range of aspects of capital punishment, grouped into five sections: (1) The Death Penalty: History, Opinion, and Culture; (2) Capital Punishment: Rationales and Religious Views; (3) Capital Punishment and Constitutional Issues; (4) The Death Penalty's Administration; and (5) The Death Penalty's Consequences.
This is a key collection for students taking courses in prisons, penology, criminal justice, criminology, and related subjects, and is also an essential reference for academics and practitioners working in the prison service, or in related agencies

Contents:

Table of Contents
Introduction to: A Handbook on Capital Punishment: Robert M. Bohm, University of Central Florida, and Gavin M. Lee, University of West Georgia

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PART 1: CAPITAL PUNISHMENT: HISTORY, OPINION, AND CULTURE
A. History

1. The American Death Penalty: A Short (But Long) History: John Bessler, University of Baltimore School of Law
2. Capital Punishment and Lynching: Margaret Vandiver, University of Memphis

B. Opinion
3. Public Opinion About the Death Penalty: James D. Unnever, University of South Florida, Sarasota, Manatee; Leah Butler, University of Cincinnati; Francis Cullen, University of Cincinnati; and Angela Thielo, University of Louisville
4. The Marshall Hypotheses: John Cochran, University of South Florida

C. Culture
5. Media and Capital Punishment: Matthew Robinson, Appalachian State University
6. Popular Media and the Death Penalty: A Critical Discourse Analysis of the Death Penalty in Film: Maya Pagni Barak, University of Michigan - Dearborn
7. Why We Need the Death Penalty: Andrew Fulkerson, Southeastern Missouri State University

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PART 2: CAPITAL PUNISHMENT: RATIONALES AND RELIGIOUS VIEWS
A. Rationales
8. Retribution: George Kain, Western Connecticut State University and Dale Recinella, St. Mary Mother of Mercy
9. General Deterrence and Brutalization: Gennaro Vito, University of Louisville and Anthony Vito, University of West Georgia
10. Incapacitation and Life without Parole: Jon Sorensen, Texas A&M University, Prairie View and Thomas Reidy, ABPP
B. Religious Views
11. Christianity and the Death Penalty: Tobias Winright, St. Louis University
12. Judaism and the Death Penalty: Edna Erez, University of Illinois at Chicago and Kathy Laster, Victoria University
13. Death Penalty in Sharia Law: Sanaz Alasti, Lamar University and Eric Bronson, Lamar University

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PART 3: CAPITAL PUNISHMENT AND CONSTITUTIONAL ISSUES
14. The U.S. Supreme Court and the Death Penalty: Katherine Bennett, Armstrong State University and H. Chris Tecklenberg, Armstrong State University
15. Capital Punishment and Aggravating and Mitigating Circumstances: Carol Steiker, Harvard Law School and Jordan Steiker, University of Texas Law School
16. Capital Offenders' Intellectual Disability and "Insanity": Excluding and Delaying the Death Penalty: Peggy Tobolowsky, University of North Texas

PART 4: THE DEATH PENALTY'S ADMINISTRATION
17. The Financial Costs of the Death Penalty: Examining the Evidence: Gordon Waldo, Florida State University
18. Prosecutors and Capital Punishment: Stacy Parker, Muskingum University
19. Counsel for the Despised and Condemned: Capital Defense Attorneys: Jeffrey Kirchmeier, City University of New York School of Law
20. The Capital Jury and Sentencing: Neither Guided Nor Individualized: Wanda Foglia, Rowan University and Marla Sandys, Indiana University Bloomington
21. The Penalty Phase of the Capital Murder Trial: A Social-Psychological Analysis: Mark Costanzo, Claremont McKenna College and Zoey Costanzo, Cornell University

22. The Appellate Process in Capital Cases: Vanessa Woodward Griffin, University of West Georgia and O. Hayden Griffin III, University of Alabama - Birmingham
23. Clemency: Failsafe or Fantasy?: Cathleen Burnett, University of Missouri - Kansas City
24. Execution Methods in a Nutshell: Deborah Denno, Fordham University

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25. California's Chaotic Death Penalty: Stacy Mallicoat, California State University, Fullerton; Brenda L. Vogel, California State University, Long Beach; and David Crawford, Death Penalty Focus
26. Reflections on the Abattoir - Texas: Dennis Longmire, Sam Houston State University and Alex Updegrove, Sam Houston State University
27. The Federal Death Penalty: Stephanie Mizrahi, California State University, Sacramento.
28. The Death Penalty and the United States Armed Forces: Catherine Grosso, Michigan State University

PART 5: THE DEATH PENALTY'S CONSEQUENCES
29. The Topography of Capital Punishment: Geographic Variations in Seeking, Achieving, and Carrying Out the Death Penalty: Adam Trahan, University of North Texas; Kaleigh B. Laird, University of North Texas; and Douglas N. Evans, Mercy College.
30. Age, Class, and Sex Disparities in Capital Punishment: Etta Morgan, Jackson State University
31. Race and the Death Penalty: Kristie Blevins, Eastern Kentucky University and Kevin Minor, Eastern Kentucky University
32. Wrongful Capital Convictions: Talia Roitberg Harmon, Niagara University and Diana Falco, Niagara University
33. Life and Work on Death Row: Robert Johnson, American University
34. Capital Punishment and Victims' and Offenders' Families: Lynn Pazzani, University of West Georgia
35. Capital Punishment's Co-Victims: Kyle Burgason, Iowa State University
36. Exoneration: Life After Death Row: Scott Vollum, University of Minnesota, Duluth
37. The Demise of the Death Penalty with Special Focus on the United States: Robert M. Bohm, University of Central Florida

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