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Capital Punishment in America: A Balanced Examination, Second Edition

Author(s): Evan J. Mandery, JD, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, New York City, New York
Details:
  • ISBN-13: 9781449605988
  • Paperback    568 pages      © 2012
Price: International Sales $71.95 US List
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Overview

This revised and updated Second Edition is an innovative, balanced, and comprehensive overview of capital punishment. It offers an unbiased examination of the death penalty, supported by statistics and Supreme Court cases, and followed by pro and con discussions. The book addresses every major issue relating to the death penalty including deterrence, racial impact, arbitrariness, its use on special populations, and methods of execution. Designed for the undergraduate and graduate level courses on the death penalty and capital punishment, and even ethics and law, this text challenges students to evaluate their beliefs and assumptions on each of the various issues surrounding this controversial subject. Each chapter begins with a primer of the issue to be discussed, followed by the data and critical documents necessary to make an educated assessment, and concludes with essays that offer differing viewpoints by some of the best minds in the country.

New Material Added to the Second Edition:

  • NEW updated data on deterrence
  • NEW data and articles on brutalization and cost
  • NEW cases and articles on the death penalty for juveniles
  • NEW case and articles on the death penalty for raping a child
  • NEW chapter on methods of execution

Preview Sample Chapters Now!  Scroll to the Samples tab to download.

ShowKey Features

  • Focuses on policy issues as opposed to caselaw exclusively
  • Provides a concise introduction to all of the topics discussed
  • Offers easy to use data
  • Includes excerpts of critical documents including cases and opposing viewpoints
  • Contains discussion questions to ensure comprehension of material

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ShowTable of Contents

Part  1  Moral Considerations
  Chapter  1  Retribution
  Chapter  2  Religion
  Chapter  3  Deterrence
  Chapter  4  Brutalization
  Chapter  5  Incapacitation
  Chapter  6  Cost
  Chapter  7  Innocence
Part  2  Constitutional Considerations
  Chapter  8  Arbitrariness
  Chapter  9  Mitigating Evidence
  Chapter  10  Rape and Proportionality
  Chapter  11  Felony-Murder
  Chapter  12  Juveniles
  Chapter  13  The Mentally Retarded
  Chapter  14  The Insane
  Chapter  15  Race
  Chapter  16  Victim Impact Evidence
  Chapter  17  Capital Juries
  Chapter  18  Sentencing Alternatives
  Chapter  19  Trial Counsel
  Chapter  20  Habeas Corpus and the Role of Innocence
Part  3  Issues of Application
  Chapter  21  Appellate Delay
  Chapter  22  Methods of Execution
  Chapter  23  Televised Executions
  Chapter  24  Clemency
  Chapter  25  The Moratorium Movement
  Chapter  26  International Law and American Exceptionalism
  Chapter  27  The Future of the Death Penalty
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ShowAbout the Author(s)

Evan J. Mandery, JD-John Jay College of Criminal Justice, New York City, New York

A former attorney, Professor Mandery has written and taught about the death penalty for the past four years. As an associate at Shearman & Sterling, Professor Mandery represented Alabama death row inmate William Thomas Knotts in his post-conviction appeals.  Mandery was the research director on Ruth Messinger’s 1997 mayoral bid and wrote a book about that experience, Eyes on City Hall.

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ShowReviews

  • I have reviewed Capital Punishment by Mandery. It is the finest work of its kind. There is no book on the market any better-please offer my congratulations to its author.

    - Anthony Schembri
    Radzinowicz Professor of Criminology, Criminal Law & Police Science
    University of Florida

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ShowAppropriate Courses

This text is suitable for courses on death penalty and capital punishment within the Criminal Justice department.  It is also appropriate for Ethics programs and courses. The exhaustive nature of this book makes it suitable for graduate courses and the balanced and reader friendly approach makes it ideal for undergraduate courses as well.

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ShowSamples & Additional Resources

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