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Victims, “Closure,” And The Sociology Of Emotion, Susan A. Bandes
Victims, “Closure,” And The Sociology Of Emotion, Susan A. Bandes
Law and Contemporary Problems
Bandes discusses the polarizing function of victim impact statements used in the context of the death penalty. The use of victim impact statements is justified in order to promote closure for the victim, but it's unclear what psychological closure can be accomplished from the formal litigation process. Even if victim impact statements do help their authors, in the context of the death penalty the authors are family members of the victim, not the direct victim, and Bandes questions whether it's important to further their interests at the expense of the interests of the defendant. The only recourse for the jury …
Revisiting The Legal Link Between Genetics And Crime, Deborah W. Denno
Revisiting The Legal Link Between Genetics And Crime, Deborah W. Denno
Law and Contemporary Problems
In 1994, convicted murderer Stephen Mobley became a cause celebre when he appealed his death sentence before the Georgia Supreme Court in the case of Mobley v. State. Denno describes the potential implications arising from the high-profile case of Stephen Mobley. He sought to introduce a then-cutting-edge theory that violence could be based on a genetic or neurochemical abnormality as mitigating evidence during capital sentencing.
A Feminist Look At The Death Penalty, Amy E. Pope
A Feminist Look At The Death Penalty, Amy E. Pope
Law and Contemporary Problems
Pope gives an exploration of the need for a feminist perspective on capital punishment. She then begins to determine which feminist methodology is most appropriate to an analysis of the death penalty.
The Constitutional Failure Of The Strickland Standard In Capital Cases Under The Eighth Amendment, Amy R. Murphy
The Constitutional Failure Of The Strickland Standard In Capital Cases Under The Eighth Amendment, Amy R. Murphy
Law and Contemporary Problems
Criminal defendants are guaranteed the right to effective assistance of counsel under the Sixth Amendment, but the Supreme Court's decision in "Strickland" has given appellate courts overly broad discretion to determine exactly what constitutes ineffective assistance of counsel. Murphy reviews the right to counsel and discusses the crucial role of counsel in capital cases throughout the trial and appellate processes.
Racial Disparity And The Death Penalty, John C. Mcadams
Racial Disparity And The Death Penalty, John C. Mcadams
Law and Contemporary Problems
McAdams examines the rhetoric and data supporting the "mass market" version of the racial disparity thesis. The system is racist in that it punishes those who kill whites more severely than those who kill blacks.
The Quality Of Justice In Capital Cases: Illinois As A Case Study, Leigh B. Bienen
The Quality Of Justice In Capital Cases: Illinois As A Case Study, Leigh B. Bienen
Law and Contemporary Problems
Bienen uses Illinois as a case study of injustice in capital cases. The quality of justice in the trial and appeal of capital cases in Illinois is of a very low standard.
Recapturing The Spirit Of Furman: The American Bar Association And The New Abolitionist Politics, Austin Sarat
Recapturing The Spirit Of Furman: The American Bar Association And The New Abolitionist Politics, Austin Sarat
Law and Contemporary Problems
Sarat locates the American Bar Association's call for a moratorium on executions in the context of modern abolitionist politics. New abolitionism links anti-death penalty work with a broader civil rights agenda.
Lost Lives: Miscarriages Of Justice In Capital Cases, Samuel R. Gross
Lost Lives: Miscarriages Of Justice In Capital Cases, Samuel R. Gross
Law and Contemporary Problems
Gross discusses the incidence of erroneous convictions for capital murder, which are systematic consequences of the natuere of homicide prosection in general and capital prosecution in particular.
The Execution Of The Innocent, Michael L. Radelet, Hugo Adam Bedau
The Execution Of The Innocent, Michael L. Radelet, Hugo Adam Bedau
Law and Contemporary Problems
Radelet and Bedau discuss the continuing and regular incidence of American trial courts sentencing innocent defendants to death, which was one of the problems that gave rise to the ABA's moratorium on capital punishment.
Moratorium On The Death Penalty For Juveniles, Victor L. Streib
Moratorium On The Death Penalty For Juveniles, Victor L. Streib
Law and Contemporary Problems
Streib offers a sketch of the sentences and actual executions in the juvenile death penalty system for the past quarter-century. The ABA's moratorium calls for the complete prevention of the execution of offenders under age 18 at the time of their crimes.
The American Bar Association And Federal Habeas Corpus, Larry W. Yackle
The American Bar Association And Federal Habeas Corpus, Larry W. Yackle
Law and Contemporary Problems
Yackle evaluates the ABA's claims touching federal habeas corpus in death penalty cases. Neither the Supreme Court nor the Anti-Terrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996 embrace the ABA's policy for habeas corpus.
The Jury System In Death Penalty Cases: A Symbolic Gesture, Courtney Mullin
The Jury System In Death Penalty Cases: A Symbolic Gesture, Courtney Mullin
Law and Contemporary Problems
No abstract provided.