Article Title
Reflections on Capital Punishment
Abstract
Authored by the Executive Director of the Center on Wrongful Convictions, this powerful article reviews the many different arguments against the death penalty and uses a multitude of case discussions to show how the death penalty works, not in theory, but in practice. Some of these arguments include: the death penalty does not have a demonstrable deterrent effect; it costs more to maintain the system than to imprison murderers for life; many wrongfully condemned defendants have been saved by the serendipitous discovery of evidence not available during trial; innocent persons have been executed; the death penalty has been applied in a freakish manner and not pain-free; and time and geography often is the deciding factor in capital and non-capital cases. The Article uses the case discussions to conclude that the death penalty is more objectionable today than ever before.
Recommended Citation
Rob Warden,
Reflections on Capital Punishment,
4
Nw. J. L. & Soc. Pol'y.
329
(2009).
https://scholarlycommons.law.northwestern.edu/njlsp/vol4/iss2/2