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When news breaks that a convicted murderer, released from prison, has killed again, or that an innocent person has escaped the death chamber in light of new DNA evidence, arguments about capital punishment inevitably heat up. Few controversies continue to stir as much emotion as this one, and public ...

When news breaks that a convicted murderer, released from prison, has killed again, or that an innocent person has escaped the death chamber in light of new DNA evidence, arguments about capital punishment inevitably heat up. Few controversies continue to stir as much emotion as this one, and public confusion is often the result. This volume brings together seven experts--judges, lawyers, prosecutors, and philosophers--to debate the death penalty in a spirit of open inquiry and civil discussion. Here, as the contributors present their reasons for or against capital punishment, the multiple facets of the issue are revealed in clear and thought-provoking detail. Is the death penalty a viable deterrent to future crimes? Does the imposition of lesser penalties, such as life imprisonment, truly serve justice in cases of the worst offences? Does the legal system discriminate against poor or minority defendants? Is the possibility of executing innocent persons sufficient grounds for abolition? In confronting such questions and making their arguments, the contributors marshal an impressive array of evidence, both statistical and from their own experiences working on death penalty cases. The book also includes the text of Governor George Ryan's March 2002 speech in which he explained why he had commuted the sentences of all prisoners on Illinois's death row. By representing the viewpoints of experts who face the vexing questions about capital punishment on a daily basis, Debating the Death Penalty makes a vital contribution to a more nuanced understanding of the moral and legal problems underlying this controversy.

In the six years which have elapsed since publication of the first edition many changes have taken place in respect of the death penalty; the number of countries which have abolished the death penalty has increased at an unprecedented rate although a few have re-introduced it; the range of offenses ...

In the six years which have elapsed since publication of the first edition many changes have taken place in respect of the death penalty; the number of countries which have abolished the death penalty has increased at an unprecedented rate although a few have re-introduced it; the range of offenses subject to the death penalty has contracted in many countries, but expanded in others; there are new facts to report on the number of executions carried out; much more is known about the extent to which states abide by the United Nation's Safeguards Guaranteeing Protection of the Rights of Those Facing the Death Penalty; and much has been published particularly in the United States of America on the legal, ethical and practical aspects of administering capital punishment and on public attitudes towards it. The time is therefore right for a new edition and in preparing it Dr Hood has thoroughly revised and updated the whole work.