Product Description
The second edition of America's Experiment with Capital Punishment is an updated and expanded version of the comprehensive first edition. Authored by the country's leading legal and social science scholars, it includes information concerning racial disparities in the administration of the death penalty, wrongful convictions, deterrence, the prediction of future dangerousness, jury decision-making, public opinion about the death penalty, the effects of the capital punishment process on murder victims' and offenders' relatives, death row incarceration, the costs of capital punishment, execution methods, and many other issues.

New legal developments are tracked, including the Supreme Court's 2002 decisions prohibiting the execution of mentally retarded offenders (Atkins vs. Virginia) and requiring juries to find all essential facts supporting sentences of death (Ring vs. Arizona); the moratorium on executions imposed by former Illinois Governor Ryan and Ryan's ensuing commutation in January 2003 of all Illinois prisoners under sentence of death; federal habeas corpus policies; and other changes in death penalty laws and practices.

Two new chapters have been added to the second edition, one by Professor Richard Wilson analyzing international laws and trends in capital punishment and their implications for the United States, and another by Professor Robert Blecker examining the theological and historical roots of the death penalty and their significance to contemporary capital punishment theory and practice. The volume, comprised of 23 individually authored chapters, remains the most current and comprehensive collection available addressing legal, empirical, political, and philosophical aspects of capital punishment in America. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Reading Scriptures with a gentle eye
While I am opposed to the Death Penalty in all circumstances and think that Jesus was and remains our best model for how a human should live, I would not call myself an evangelical Christian. I believe that Hindus, doubters,atheists, Buddhists, Muslims & all manner of believers serve God by being true to what they believe.Furthermore, I do not as a general rule try to make sense and explain the Bible - there are too many follies in both the Hebrew story and in the Christian story for me to consider it important to appreciate every little detail or peccadillo in the Christian Bible. Indeed, taking the Bible too literally is often just another self-justifying form of idolatry--in this case, bibliolatry.
However, I was wonderfully surprised by this book.Gardner Hanks tells a story of spiritual movement - the Mosaic 'lex talonis' replacing untethered vengeful feuds, Talmud injunctions making clear that punitive and non-restitutional punishment is counter to God's mercy, until the story reaches the forgiving standard of Jesus on the Cross.This book illustrates that the spirit of the reader can be as important as the actual stand alone text.There is a firm and consistent gentleness in this book that reminds me of St. Francis of Assisi. [This is a standard that I cannot match.]
I was particularly moved by how Gardner gets so quickly to the heart of the matter - esp. when he describes and characterizes our own caste-and-class, revenge driven capital jurisprudence as little more than 'updated' forms of human sacrifice.

Lon Clay Hill

A stringent denouncement of state-sanctioned execution
Written by death penalty abolitionist Gardner C. Hanks (Amnesty International State Death Penalty Action Coordinator for Idaho) as a stringent denouncement of the process of state-sanctioned execution, Capital Punishment And The Bible draws directly from the Christian scriptures to emphasize the importance of forgiveness, love, and restoration. A strongly worded, powerfully articulated, highly persuasive, theological and humanitarian stand that invokes both Biblical and secular reasonings against capital punishment, Captial Punishment And The Bible is a welcome and timely contribution to the on-going national dialog, especially in these troubled times. Also highly recommended reading is Gardner C. Hanks earlier work, Against The Death Penalty: Christian And Secular Arguments Agasint Capital Punishment.

Personal Prejudice
Gard wrote this book in response to readers' reactions to the first two chapters of Against the Death Penalty.And I read it because I helped edit it, and therefore my five star rating is biased.However, Gard and I thought it was much better written than his first book, but it definitely only examines the biblical/religious arguments against the death penalty.

In the Old Testament someone could only be sentenced to death under very stringent conditions.For example: Two eye witnesses had to testify.No relative of the victim could testify.No person involved in the crime could testify. The cultural and historical examination of Old and New Testament beliefs is very thought provoking and you will find close parallels to Ohio's recommended guidelines for ending the moratorium on the death penalty.

Gard died on February 2nd after being sick for over a year with cancer.He did not see this book in publication. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Great Book
I bought this book for a research project for a philosophy class.This book gave both sides of the argument for and against Capital punishment.I scored an A and very much appreciated citing this source as a reference book for my paper. ... Read more

Product Description
Drawing on Old and New Testament resources as well as secular arguments, Gardner C. Hanks shows that the death penalty harms rather than helps any quest for a just, humane society. He demonstrates through research data that the death penalty is an ineffective crime-fighting tool. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

against the idolization of death
Gardner Hank's Against the Death Penalty is a concise summary of the arguments against capital punishment. Forceful, rational arguments are made from religious and secular viewpoints. I highly recommend this book for anyone, of any faith, especially those who are unsure, or favor, the death penalty. Christian's especially need to reflect on Jesus' own execution, and with spiritual maturity examine our beliefs about the purpose and value of human life. The book is convincing, and Gardner's style holds one's interest, never being overly emotional or repetitive.

stood for 6 hours and read it
Its that compelling. I see various reviewers referring to the Bible but conveniently skipping the COMMANDMENTS to not kill and to love God and your neighbors. In Matthew, Jesus submitted that the entire law and all the proclamations of the prophets hang upon loving God, and loving each other. Thus, if one claims to be a Christian, you have been COMMANDED to not kill, and to love your God and your neighbor, before anything else. So, please, don't use the Bible to justify killing by ignoring COMMANDMENTS and referring to obscure passages. Which do you think God will hold you to, when judgement comes?

This book speaks to the moralist in all of us, hoping to come to the only conclusion any moral human could: killing is always wrong, be it killing by individuals, or killing by the state

Great summary of religious arguments
I dare any Christian who is currently in favor of the death penalty to read this book!It's fairly short and won't take much of your time...but it WILL speak truth to your heart.

An important book and resource that fills a needed niche
Although there are several books available that detail facts, figures and stories on the death penalty, I found Gardner Hank's book to have the best organized and appropriately concise presentation of the arguments against the death penalty. In particular I think it is appropriate to divide the perspective on the issue into secular and nonsecular arguments. In particular for me, as an agnostic with experience opposing the death penalty, I benefited most from Gard's careful and 'from the heart' presentation of the deeper meanings behind why a Christian must find the death penalty so abhorrent. A book definitely of value to give to friends willing to explore the rational arguments against the death penalty. ... Read more

Product Description
A rhetorical history of public debates about crime, violence, and punishment in America:
EXECUTING DEMOCRACY: CAPITAL PUNISHMENT AND THE MAKING OF AMERICA, 1683 1807, is the first volume of a rhetorical history of public debates about crime, violence, and capital punishment in America. This examination begins in 1683, when William Penn first struggled to govern the rowdy indentured servants of Philadelphia, and continues until 1807, when the Federalists sought to impose law-and-order upon the New Republic. (The forthcoming volume 2 concludes in 1843, at the close of one of the nation s most heated periods of debate regarding executions.) This volume offers a lively historical overview of how crime, violence, and capital punishment influenced the settling of the New World, the American Revolution, and the frantic post-war political scrambling to establish norms that would govern the new republic. By presenting a macro-historical overview, and by filling the arguments with voices from different political camps and communicative genres, Hartnett provides readers with fresh perspectives for understanding the centrality of public debates about capital punishment to the history of American democracy.

Illustrated with vintage engravings and charts. Notes, references, index.

IN THE SERIES: Rhetoric and Public Affairs



CONTENTS:
List of Illustrations...vii
Preface...ix
Acknowledgments...xvii
INTRODUCTION. The Rhetorical History of A Very Hard Choice...1
CHAPTER 1. Settler Debauchery, Capital Punishment, and the Theater of Colonial (Dis)Order, 1683 1741...41
CHAPTER 2. The Paradox of a Republican Revolution Using Executions as Pedagogy, 1768 1784...79
CHAPTER 3. The Hanging of Abraham Johnstone and the Turning of Terror into Hope, 1797...123
CHAPTER 4. Enlightenment, Republicanism, and Executions, 1785 1800...161
CONCLUSION. The Hanging of John M'Kean and the Perils of Sinning in an Age of Reason...211
Notes...219
Bibliography...275
Index...303 ... Read more

Product Description
Death Penalty Cases provides an unbiased collection ofseminal death penalty cases in the United States. It offers full but carefully edited excerpts from 25 different US Supreme Court cases along with helpful introductory materials specially prepared by the editor. It also includes the latest statistical data on capital punishment [and a useful sampling of death penalty statutes]. Together, this material is invaluable for a full understanding of this fascinating subject.

Without taking sides on this controversial issue, the author illuminates the arguments and presents the cases that form the framework for US law on capital punishment. The keen selection of the material and the quality and extent of the commentary make this unique textbook a superb resource and an outstanding educational tool.

* Carefully edited excerpts from 25 landmark US Supreme Court cases
* Outstanding original interpretation and analysis from the author
* A wealth of impartial material on ethics and historical controversies ... Read more

Product Description
Reviews the history and current status of the death penalty in the U.S., focusing on the legal and ethical issues of its use by the criminal justice system. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

An Informative Look at the Death Penalty
This book, is a subjective look at capital punishment.The author's unbiased approach makes it a great resource for research papers.It would also make excellent leisure reading material for anyone interested inlearning about the death penalty. ... Read more

Product Description

Capital Punishment focuses on the use of the death penalty in the United States, its international status, and how foreign developments affect the country. It includes a history, a discussion of the controversies surrounding the death penalty, updated biographical sketches, and statistics. Key documents include the U.S. Supreme Court decision affirming capital punishment, a key dissent, Charles Dickens' 19th century view of the guillotine, and various papal and European Union decrees. It also includes a chronology, organizations, websites with further information, and an annotated bibliography.

In this updated survey, a thorough overview of capital punishment, author Michael Kronenwetter reveals interesting facts, for example, under Roman law, death was the penalty for publishing "insulting songs" and disturbing the city's peace.

Product Description
The third edition of Capital Punishment and the Judicial Process includes all major Supreme Court cases, including the landmark decisions in Roper v. Simmons, Atkins v. Virginia and Ring v. Arizona. With the media's attention continually focused on capital punishment cases, the death penalty remains a lightning-rod issue. Coyne and Entzeroth focus on Eighth Amendment and Fourteen Amendment challenges to the death penalty, and provide comprehensive treatment of post-conviction and federal habeas corpus issues. Capital Punishment and the Judicial Process provides a historical overview of the death penalty and devotes an entire chapter to bedrock issues including deterrence, retribution, brutalization and innocence. A separate chapter examines the impact of race, gender and sexual orientation in capital cases. Coyne and Entzeroth have updated their materials to include all relevant recent developments in the field, including the growing importance of international law, the resumption of federal executions, the results of the capital trial of terrorist Zacarias Moussaoui and the American Bar Association's call for a moratorium on executions. In a methodical and comprehensive fashion, Capital Punishment and the Judicial Process explores death eligibility, jury selection, aggravating and mitigating factors, the right to effective counsel, prosecutorial misconduct, the use of psychiatric experts, stays of execution, state and federal habeas procedures, clemency and methods of execution. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

End Capital Punishment then kill/abolish all the lawyers, quoth Shakespeare and Zemeckis.
(...) Ladies and Gentlemen, you do not need an $ 80 book to tell you that Capital Punishment should be abolished because it is pretty obvious even to the layman. There are maybe ten facts that make it necessary to abolish capital punishment and they include: possible execution of the innocent, more expensive than life imprisonment, cruel and unusual means, no deterrent to capital or even felony crimes, death sentences based on ridiculous standards of guilt beyond a reasonable doubt, drawn out lengthy legal fights that last 10-25 years bogging down the justice system, laws instituted due to political agendas and a legal system with absolute gridlock. Now I am in favor of a total moratorium on the death penalty for convicted felons since we cannot afford it in money or legal corruption. The United States of America and the 50 states must not execute the innocent no matter what. The death penalty is not helping deter crime and the standard for conviction is laughable and undefined.
I am not advocating the death penalty for convicted felons but I believe Shakespeare might have been right when he said in Henry VI part II through his character Dick the Butcher, "The first thing we do, let's kill all the lawyers." I believe capital punishment is targeting the victims or felons of the system when it should start targeting the ones who screwed it up in the first place.
Lawyers are nothing more than mindless automatons of a system they are trapped in the second Professors teach their minds to think of the law, no, turn their minds to a jelly state of Tabla Rosa. So the lawyers are the major problem of a corrupt legal system and corrupt government.Maybe the Capital Punishment laws should be redirected towards them as Shakespeare suggested in Henry VI Part II.
There are others who have expressed this desire in literature, fiction or film to rid the world or especially the USA of all lawyers. How about award winning director and producer Robert Zemeckis and his writings in Back to the Future II? Remember that Robert Zemeckis did not just direct Back to the Future II, he also wrote a great deal of dialogue for the characters along with writer Bob Gale. Thus it was Zemeckis most likely or Gale who wrote the line for character Dr. Emmett Brown in Back to the Future II, "The justice system works swiftly in the future now that they've abolished all lawyers." I think that is hilarious and probably true like the futuristic writings of Orwell, H.G. Wells and Morgan Robertson.
So if Shakespeare and Zemeckis have advocated it in fiction, and these men are both geniuses, why shouldn't it be instituted in reality? I mean every problem in the US Government or legal system in one way or another can be blamed on lawyers. The proof is in law school education which does not take the dialectical materialist liberal arts education route of colleges and universities. Instead, law school education can most likely be referred to as neo-scholasticism-where student's minds are crushed in an examination of pure minutia. Law students do not learn the law or how to apply it, only penny ante sets of facts that avail them not in education or practice. Remember who has advocated the liberal arts system of dialectical materialism education; their ranks include Francisco Petrarch, Karl Marx and even Frederick Engels. Only Catholic priests and educators of the Dark and Middle Ages ever advocated scholasticism, a study in pure minutia. Anyone who doubts law school education is anything but neo-scholasticism go and find out the truth in law schools.
The true practice of law ended circa 1930. Before 1930 lawyers were schooled equally in the classroom and in apprentice work under the tutelage of other working attorneys. However, in 1930 the US system of law and US Law education shifted from a common law/court of equity focus to an international law/court of admiralty focus and look what happened. The US Government and US system of law has been totally corrupted by these lawyers. A once perfected system of government and law created by Jefferson and Madison has now been obliterated. Unless we institute the inspiring plans of Shakespeare or Zemeckis it is quite possible that only the return of The Lord can stop these corrupt and evil lawyers. If only the Lord's return can stop these lawyers then I say, like John the Revelator, "come quickly Lord Jesus."
These lawyers took a beautiful Libertarian US system of government and law and destroyed it. So I am inspired by Coyne, let us indeed end capital punishment for felons and focus on life imprisonment, death of personality or alternate means for them. Instead, focusing our efforts, hopefully not capital, on the lawyers to abolish all law school, international court of admiralty lawyers in the USA. Then the USA would return to the common law system of liberal arts education in law schools or the apprentice system of learning the practice of law.
Of course Capital Punishment should be abolished, because it is the Court of Admiralty lawyers who set it up and corrupted it in the first place. Now you have a sue everyone legal environment where there are 100 times the lawsuits there should be in the courts. There are ridiculous lawsuits over everything now, from property disputes, slander, libel, looking at something the wrong way and lease/contract disputes. There are now lawsuits over anything and everything in all US Courts.Most of these ridiculous lawsuits could have been resolved with alternate dispute resolution, compromise or even honest communication.
It is not just the lawyers who should be blamed for the corruption and harm to a beautiful system of government and law in the USA. Obviously, the politicians share a great deal of the blame but since 80 percent of the bastards are lawyers already it is pretty obvious the lawyers are the most to blame, owning at least 90 percent of the blame, the mean of 100 and 80 percent. This book is part of the solution and that is excellent. The problem is that the Professor and man who wrote it is only part of the problem. Actually, he is twice the problem since he is both a lawyer and law school educator. The only way to save the United States of America from the corruption of international court admiralty lawyers is to follow the wise advice of William Shakespeare and Robert Zemeckis.Professor, you cannot reform a legal system that is already beyond saving and trapped in a legal paradox of its own creation.

None better.
This book is the leading authority on capital punishment in the United States.I used this textbook in a capital punishment class taught by Professor Coyne, whose brilliance goes well beyond this book.To those who know little regarding the use of the death penalty in this country, this book is an eye-opening illustration of the most serious aggrievances of this subject.I would recommend this book to anyone who has an open mind, but especially those of you who don't.

legal information that a non-lawyer can understand
This is an excellent reference for the legal aspects of the death penalty. It covers constitutional limitations, state and federal habeas corpus review, the federal death penalty, and international aspects, all backed with case studies. This book is best used as a desktop reference; I would not recommend reading it straight through.

Capital Punishment/Jud. Process: Liberalism and no exception
The American Doctor Coyne seems to just state the obvious in his book.Background on the good Dr. seems to show a Catholic upbringing, life in Mass. and going to Georgetown. The American Bar Association, Catholicism,and liberal law doctors, and liberals in general in the US have beenagainst the death penalty. Dr. Coyne is no different.Dr, Coyne does notmake an exception for any mass murderer, not McVeigh, not Manson, notGaycy, not Bundy, not the Son of Sam, not Jack the Ripper, and not one likeAdolf Eichman. This is troubling.Americans seems to want to executeanyone for one murder, but only logic suppports the death penalty for massmurderers or serial killers.Dr. Coyne wants it for no one.Some parts ofthis book seems so poorly written that it as if Dr. Coyne conceived some ofit at his local Oklahomian bar. Yes, the book is concise.But that isprobably a concession to the ABA's demand that law schools writeultraconcise.Such is the maddening tradition of English and Americancommon law.Our country has a much better model. The book is justanother confirmation of the liberal establishment's opposition to executionof its population controllers.Wrong.No.The process can be predictedfor mass murders and the expene is justifying the putting down of serialkiller slime.It is justified. These killers must look to the"Social Contract" by Rosseau.People in society assent tocertain punishments if they break the law.And if the government does noexecute these maniacs, then people are relying to their detriment on thefact that the govenment must destroy these monsters.Yes,they must.Andif the government does not, the people have relied on the government totheir detriment and people's reliance on government is estopped,. period. The reason for these American murderers is simple, each home in Americanhas been denied its 2d amendment right to bear arms.In my country eachhousehold has one.Dr. Coyne and his allies would not like such a scheme. The serial killers know guns are controlled, they know the police are partof the establishment, they know that their liberal allies like Coyne willrun to their help should twelve men and women of society vote to put themdown.That is why.Opposition against the death penalty and support forgun control/oppositon to right to carry breeds these criminals madmen.There may be another reason for the book.Dr. Coyne wrote it to use in hisclasses.Also known as antideath penalty endoctrination centers.Anyonewho does not agree with him or his ideals is probably guaranteed by him tofail his class, even in public where the forum against destroying thecriminal element is.Well, people like Coyne are not the ubermenches theythink there are.Perhaps even they get these due from oneswho havecoveyted their success.Perhaps.No, definatetely absolute.

Letting injustice speak for itself.
This is an extraordinary book. There can be few legal casebooks that can be recommended to the general reader - but this is one of those books. Randall Coyne - Professor of Law at the University of Oklahoma, practitioner and erstwhile member of the McVeigh defense tean - and Lyn Entzeroth, his wife and a law clerk in the Oklahoma Court of Appeals - are a formidable team. The power of this book comes from its understatement - this is no abolitionist rant or jeremiad, rather the authors allow the unfairness, capriciousness and stony-heartedness of the judicial process in the imposition of capital punishment to speak for itself.

The book is a pefect complement to Hugo Adam Bedau's The Death Penalty in America and deserves to be as well known as that text. Where Bedau presents the arguments for and against capital punishment through academic papers, Coyne and Entzeroth cover similar ground but mainly through judicial opinions.

This book is de rigeur reading for any law ! ! school course looking at capital punishment but is sufficiently succinct and clear to allow the interesed lay reader or, one can live in hope, legislator to thoroughly inform themselves on all aspects of the topic.

It really is a miracle of compression and the authors are strongly to be commended on the scope of their coverage and the neutral tone of their presentation. It has none of the stridency of tone associated with other high profile practitioner authors. It is difficult to imagine how one could read it from cover to cover and remain in favor of capital punishment. ... Read more

Product Description
While most western democracies have renounced the death penalty, capital punishment enjoys vast and growing support in the United States. A significant and vocal minority, however, continues to oppose it. Against Capital Punishment is the first full account of anti-death penalty activism in America during the years since the ten-year moratorium on executions ended.

Building on in-depth interviews with movement leaders and the records of key abolitionist organizations, this work traces the struggle against the pro-death penalty backlash that has steadily gained momentum since the 1970s. It reviews the conservative turn in the courts which, over the last two decades, has forced death penalty opponents to rely less on the litigation strategies that once served them well. It describes their efforts to mount a broad-based educational and political assault on what they see as the most cruel, racist, ineffective, and expensive manifestation of a criminal justice system gone wrong.

Despite the efforts of death-penalty opponents, executions in the United States are on the increase. Against Capital Punishment diagnoses the reasons for the failure to mobilize widespread opposition to executions, and assesses the prospects for opposition to capital punishment in the future of the United States. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Highly recommended for death penalty opponents
Herbert Haines explores the history of the death penalty abolitionist movement in the United States.He discusses the various strategies and beliefs that have been behind the movement since its inception in this country.After presenting the movement in this historical context, Haines makes sound recommendations for the future of the movement.A very practical and wonderful work. ... Read more

Product Description
Publisher: The Committee on Philanthropic Labor of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting of FriendsPublication date: 1919Subjects: Capital punishmentLaw / Criminal Law / GeneralSocial Science / CriminologySocial Science / PenologyNotes: This is an OCR reprint. There may be typos or missing text. There are no illustrations or indexes.When you buy the General Books edition of this book you get free trial access to Million-Books.com where you can select from more than a million books for free. You can also preview the book there. ... Read more

Product Description
This is an OCR edition without illustrations or index. It may have numerous typos or missing text. However, purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original rare book from GeneralBooksClub.com. You can also preview excerpts from the book there. Purchasers are also entitled to a free trial membership in the General Books Club where they can select from more than a million books without charge. Original Published by: T. Cadell and W. Davies in 1810 in 85 pages; Subjects: Capital punishment; Criminal law; Law / General; Law / Criminal Law / General; Social Science / Criminology; Social Science / Penology; ... Read more

Product Description
This is an OCR edition without illustrations or index. It may have numerous typos or missing text. However, purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original rare book from GeneralBooksClub.com. You can also preview excerpts from the book there. Purchasers are also entitled to a free trial membership in the General Books Club where they can select from more than a million books without charge. Original Published by: Smith, Elder and co. in 1865 in 309 pages; Subjects: Capital punishment; History / General; Law / Criminal Law / General; Social Science / Criminology; Social Science / Penology; ... Read more

Product Description
A Pioneering Work In English, Bringing Together A Most Amazing Assemblage Of Court Cases In Which Animals (Chickens, Rats, Field Mice, Bees, And Pigs) Have Been Named As Defendants, Providing Much Insight Into Animal Rights And Capital Punishment. ... Read more

Product Description
Within the pages of this chilling book, these condemned victims and the methods in which they met their plight come to life once more. The death penalty is examined in its different guises through the centuries, from execution methods pre-1800 by hanging - both individual and multiple, hanging, drawing and quartering for the charge of high treason, to other sickening alternatives which included burning, boiling alive and use of the dreaded Halifax gibbet, precursor to the Guillotine. Witches fell to watery graves through violent drowning, whilst damned women were often pressed slowly to death.Perfect for social historians and those with an interest in the macabre, or for anyone eager to discover the darker side of justice. ... Read more

Product Description
Contributors debate the ethics, the effectivness, and the constitutionality of the death penalty. Tentative chapters include: Is Capital Punishment Just? Is Capital Punishment Administered Fairly? Is Capital Punishment an Effective Deterrent to Crime? Should Capital Punishment Be Abolished? (20040901) ... Read more