Death Penalty Biases Pathfinder
Is there discrimination in applying the death penalty against minorities, the mentally retarded, the poor, or other disadvantaged groups of people? Are they more prone to be sentenced to death than the majority? These are just two of the many controversial issues surrounding capital punishment. Included in this pathfinder are the best resources for the most reliable information and statistics about the death penalty. I did not focus on the costs, history, or other perspectives of capital punishment, because I feel that discrimination against people on death row is a most critical issue. Though most of the information in this pathfinder relates specifically to the fairness of the death penalty, there is also background information included for those merely curious about the harshest punishment of the U.S. justice system. For the student researcher, this pathfinder should also provide an excellent launching point.
General Advice for
Researchers:
There is an abundance of good information on the World Wide Web, but researchers should consider that print sources are perhaps the most logical place to start. They provide lots of valuable and credible information that is often easier to find than websites. However, once moving past these books, government sites are very helpful in looking up the legalities of capital punishment.
Dewey Decimal
Numbers:
Most books found regarding capital punishment can be located under 364 or 365.
Books:
Winters, Paul A., ed. The Death Penalty Opposing
Viewpoints.
This source is particularly valuable for the focus of fairness in capital punishment because ¼ of the book is entirely devoted to that topic. It covers the issues of women, the poor, blacks, and the retarded receiving the death penalty. It addresses both sides of the issues well. The book is part of a well respected Opposing Viewpoints series and is very valuable for researching the death penalty.
Williams, Mary E., ed. Capital
Punishment.
This source is important because it consists of numerous essays regarding the death penalty. It covers the fairness of how capital punishment is administered among other controversial subjects. Each of the authors has a little bio about them and their relevance to the article. One very intriguing essay was written by a man on death row himself, and this presents a unique perspective on the issue of the death penalty.
Online Databases:
Facts.com Database
This subscription database well covers capital punishment in today’s society. It employs many current cases which help support the overall arguments on both sides. It contains important statistics, including which states have adopted the death penalty. All of this is just in the first article. The database includes many related articles which can direct a search to a more narrowed focus.
CQ Researcher Database
CQ Researcher provides excellent
and relevant statistics regarding capital punishment in one of its many
articles. The article “Rethinking the Death Penalty” seems to be the most
informative. It includes the background on the death penalty as well as current
information. The author of “Rethinking the Death Penalty”, Kenneth Jost, is a professor at
Specific Internet
Sites:
Dieter, Richard C. “Twenty Years of Capital Punishment: A
Re-evaluation.”
This site has an article that deals with racial discrimination, executing the innocent, and punishing the mentally retarded among other things. It is very reliable, as it was written by the director of the Death Penalty Information Center. The other sites linked with this organization are also very helpful in researching information on the death penalty.
“Capital Punishment Statistics.” Bureau of Justice Statistics.
This site has non-biased and accurate statistics involving the death penalty and capital punishment.
Organizations:
It should be noted that there are numerous anti-death penalty organizations, and very few pro-capital punishment. I did not find any that fit into this category. The organization below may represent all of the many others that want to abolish the death penalty.
American Civil Liberties
This organization argues that the death penalty should be abolished. Though it is very one-sided, it is very good in presenting its argument for biases in capital punishment as well as current cases. The ACLU is a non-profit organization that advocates its stance on certain issues and fights civil liberty violations.
Keywords:
“death penalty”, “racial biases”, “capital punishment”, “death penalty organizations”, “pro-death penalty”
Additional Advice to Researchers:
Be wary of the many websites and articles advocating the abolishment of the death penalty. There are a disproportionate number of them, but this does not necessarily mean that their argument is more valid. This is another reason why books are generally better sources than the Internet – they often present both sides of an argument equally, unlike Internet websites. Though the challenge of researching valid information regarding capital punishment seems a daunting one, this pathfinder will hopefully be a good starting point and assist you in your search. Good luck!
Liz Krevsky