Exam 20: The Death Penalty

Which of the following countries has NOT abolished the death penalty?

Opponents of the death penalty argue that only has the right to take a life.

In the case of Gregg v. Georgia (1976), the Supreme Court ruled that the sentencing judge or jury take into account specific aggravating and factors in deciding which convicted murderers should be sentenced to death.

Since 2000, many states have enacted a on capital punishment.

In the case of Strickland v. Washington (1984), the Supreme Court ruled that defendants had the right to counsel that meets an "objective standard of ."

Match each item to the phrase or sentence listed below. a. Ruling that required an objective standard of reasonableness for defense counsel b. Circumstances that increase seriousness of crime c. A moral argument for capital punishment d. Ruling that execution of the developmentally disabled is unconstitutional e. Execution method developed in the late 1970s f. Separate hearings for guilt and sentencing g. Ruling that the execution of the mentally ill is unconstitutional h. Circumstances that invite mercy i. Ruling that only juries should decide whether to implement the death penalty j. First ruling that the death penalty is constitutional if it is not administered in a cruel and usual fashion -Furman v. Georgia (1972)

The belief that one who takes another's life deserves a punishment equal to the victim's fate is a argument.

The belief that execution of wrongdoers deters others from committing the crime reflects .

Until the mid-1700s criminal punishment in Europe and in American colonies focused on which of the following?

Do you think there is sufficient evidence of racism in how capital punishment is practiced in this country that it should be abolished? Explain your answer.

Legal cases continue to raise concerns about the lengthy periods that condemned people spend on death row because of __________.

The biggest demographic predictor of attitudes toward capital punishment is .

Match each item to the phrase or sentence listed below. a. Ruling that required an objective standard of reasonableness for defense counsel b. Circumstances that increase seriousness of crime c. A moral argument for capital punishment d. Ruling that execution of the developmentally disabled is unconstitutional e. Execution method developed in the late 1970s f. Separate hearings for guilt and sentencing g. Ruling that the execution of the mentally ill is unconstitutional h. Circumstances that invite mercy i. Ruling that only juries should decide whether to implement the death penalty j. First ruling that the death penalty is constitutional if it is not administered in a cruel and usual fashion -Atkins v. Virginia (2002)

According to opponents of the death penalty, capital punishment is applied in a discriminatory fashion.

Discuss the ways in which public opinion about capital punishment has changed over time. What major factors account for the changes?

Individuals on death row tend to be poorly educated men from the middle class.

In , the Supreme Court decided that a three-drug lethal injection protocol did NOT violate the "cruel and unusual punishment" clause.

Most death penalty defendants are and are provided counsel by the state.

In Atkins v. Virginia (2002), the Supreme Court ruled that .

Match each item to the phrase or sentence listed below. a. Ruling that required an objective standard of reasonableness for defense counsel b. Circumstances that increase seriousness of crime c. A moral argument for capital punishment d. Ruling that execution of the developmentally disabled is unconstitutional e. Execution method developed in the late 1970s f. Separate hearings for guilt and sentencing g. Ruling that the execution of the mentally ill is unconstitutional h. Circumstances that invite mercy i. Ruling that only juries should decide whether to implement the death penalty j. First ruling that the death penalty is constitutional if it is not administered in a cruel and usual fashion -Strickland v. Washington (1984)