Death Penalty Information Center. “The Death Penalty in 2022: Year End Report.” Death Penalty Information Center, 2022. Web.
This paper is a tertiary source that gives an overview of the death penalty usage in the U.S. in 2022. It provides statistics and data about death sentences, executions, and public opinion. The source is anti-death penalty since it emphasizes problems with the execution of the death sentence, such as false convictions and racial inequities. The study uses quantitative data and is up to date because it was released in 2022. The site offers insightful facts and data that can bolster the case against the death sentence. Its capacity to offer in-depth analysis or thorough primary research is constrained as a tertiary source.
Fogel, Sondra J., et al. “Capital Punishment Trials of Youthful Offenders: The Impact of Aces Mitigation.” Youth & Society, 2023. Web.
The use of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) mitigation in death sentence cases for young criminals is examined in this primary source. The study is pro-abolitionist since it makes the case that using ACEs mitigation can lessen the number of juvenile offenders who get the death sentence. Since it was released in 2023, the report is current and uses qualitative information from interviews with death sentence defense lawyers to back up its case. The source offers a distinctive viewpoint on the death penalty and the effect of ACE-related mitigating factors. The study’s breadth is constrained since it concentrates on juvenile offenders and ACE-related mitigating factors. The findings may not be generalizable to all death penalty cases or populations.
Gann, Shaun M., and John W. Palmer. “The Death Penalty.” Constitutional Rights of Prisoners, 2021, pp. 251–266. Web.
The death penalty is discussed in this article, a tertiary source, about inmates’ constitutional rights. It covers the legal arguments against the validity of the death sentence and its history in the United States. The authors contend that the capital punishment penalty is a contentious topic that raises fundamental concerns regarding the state’s law enforcement function. They also address the challenges faced in executions, including the possibility of killing innocent people and the racial inequities in their execution. The article is helpful since it gives a thorough summary of the subject; however, it just gives a basic overview and does not go into great detail on any particular problems with the death sentence.
Johnson, David T., and Franklin E. Zimring. “The Death Penalty’s Continued Decline.” Current History, vol. 118, no. 811, 2019, pp. 316–321. Web.
According to this report, the death penalty is being phased out in the U.S. This secondary source, released in 2019, gives quantitative statistics on the number of executions and death sentences in the United States. The authors contend that the death sentence is becoming less common due to shifting public perception, dropping crime rates, and various legal obstacles. They argue that politicians should prioritize efforts to limit the usage of the death sentence. The article gives a helpful summary of recent trends in the use of the death sentence in the United States, but it makes no suggestions for future policy. This article gives an informative summary of current trends in the usage of the death sentence in the United States and the reasons why the death penalty has become less popular in recent years. However, the lack of policymakers’ suggestions may restrict the article’s value for individuals who argue for particular policy changes.
McCarthy, Daniel, and Ian Brunton-Smith. “Attitudes towards the Death Penalty: An Assessment of Individual and Country-Level Differences.” European Journal of Criminology, 2022. Web.
The article is a tertiary source that offers thorough information about the execution of criminals worldwide. It investigates European views about the death sentence using quantitative data. This source emphasizes the rising resistance to the death sentence, which supports the idea that it should be outlawed. The paper is helpful since it analyzes sentiments regarding the death sentence in Europe using current data and statistical analysis. The results provide light on the intricate aspects that influence people’s opinions about the death sentence and might help guide policy decisions. One study’s drawback is that it mainly focuses on European sentiments about the death sentence. Therefore, its conclusions might not be generalizable to other continents.
Nadeem, Reem. “Most Americans Favor the Death Penalty Despite Concerns about Its Administration.” Pew Research Center – U.S. Politics & Policy, 2021. Web.
The report highlights the death penalty’s popularity among Americans despite concerns about its administration. The report is a tertiary source and presents data from a survey conducted in June 2021, which included over 10,000 adults. The data presented is quantitative, providing statistics; it shows most Americans still support the death penalty despite concerns about its administration (pro-death penalty). This source’s extensive poll data, which offers insights into the public’s attitude toward the death sentence, make it valuable. However, its drawbacks include the survey’s potential for bias and sample methodology and the reality that popular opinion does not always accurately represent what is moral or just.
Novak, Andrew. “Transnational Litigation against the Mandatory Death Penalty and Anti-Sodomy Laws: A New Commonwealth Human Rights Strategy?” Commonwealth & Comparative Politics, vol. 59, no. 2, 2020, pp. 149–168. Web.
In this article, the death penalty usage is discussed in nations that still have obligatory death penalties. Transnational litigation also plays a part in this. The qualitative technique used in this secondary source research, based on document analysis in cases heard in foreign courts, is qualitative. The practice of obligatory death sentences is criticized by Novak, who contends that international litigation might be a valuable tool for resolving human rights issues. In this regard, the author advises Commonwealth nations, in particular, to take a more aggressive position. This source is valuable because it sheds light on how global litigation may be used to address human rights abuses like mandatory death sentences. The primary focus of this source is on the Commonwealth nations. Hence, it has the drawback of not being able to generalize its findings to other areas.
Sato, Mai. “Politics of International Advocacy against the Death Penalty: Governments as Anti–Death Penalty Crusaders.” International Journal for Crime, Justice and Social Democracy, vol. 11, no. 3, 2022, pp. 1–11. Web.
This article is the primary source investigating how governments have pushed the death penalty to be abolished. Sato favors abolishing the death penalty, and the essay critically examines the politics of global activism against it, emphasizing political tactics. The paper uses case studies to bolster its claims while using qualitative data as evidence. The solution proposed by Sato is to underline the significance of government leadership in the fight against the death sentence and to keep pushing for its repeal on a global scale. The source’s insights into government tactics and emphasis on the role of government in the campaign make it valuable. However, it is limited in that it does not explore other stakeholders’ perspectives or the general public’s.
Sato, Mai. “Reframing the Debate on Attitudes towards the Death Penalty.” Comparative Capital Punishment, 2019. Web.
The source is a secondary article that makes the case that the death penalty discussion should change from traditional justifications for or against it to addressing fundamental problems of power, privilege, and inequality. The author favors abolition and uses qualitative data to critically analyze the discussion of the death penalty and the material that has already been published (Sato). The author’s proposed solutions are rethinking the discussion and addressing the underlying factors that support the death sentence. The source has value because of its distinctive viewpoint and emphasis on social justice, but it has limitations since it lacks empirical facts to back up its assertions and does not show how well the suggested plan works.
Suartha, I Dewa. “Criminal Policy Formulation on Regulation of Death Penalties for Criminal Actors.” Journal of Morality and Legal Culture, vol. 1, no. 1, 2020, pp. 12–17. Web.
This paper is the primary source that focuses on how criminal regulations are created to control the death penalty usage in Indonesia. The author opposes the death sentence, and the article makes the case for a more restrained and moral application of the death penalty. The source is qualitative, and the author draws on existing laws and policies to make their argument. The author urges developing a holistic, multifaceted approach to criminal policy design as a solution. The source’s strength is in emphasizing legal norms and principles in using the death sentence, while its weakness is the absence of practical solutions for the restrained and principled use of the death penalty.