Featured Resources
| 1-Minute Overview |
| Should the death penalty be allowed? |
| Top 10 Pros and Cons |
| Did You Know? |
Projects
| Forms of Execution in the United States, 1977 - 2007 |
| 36 States with Death Penalty / 41 Federal Capital Crimes |
| Major Death Penalty Cases in the US Supreme Court |
Pros and Cons by Issue
Issue: Background / General
| Q: | What is the death penalty and capital punishment? |
| Q: | What makes a death penalty case different from other criminal cases? |
| Q: | What are considered capital crimes in the United States? |
| Q: | What are the forms of execution in the United States? |
Issue: Moral & Ethical Issues
| Q: | Is the death penalty immoral? |
| Q: | Should physicians participate in executions? |
| Q: | What is the Hippocratic Oath? |
Issue: Deterrence & Retribution
| Q: | Does the death penalty deter crime? |
| Q: | Should executions be made public? |
| Q: | Should the death penalty be used for retribution? |
Issue: Social Issues
| Q: | Does a person's race affect the likelihood of him/her receiving the death penalty? |
| Q: | Does a person's income level affect the likelihood of him/her receiving the death penalty? |
| Q: | Should a death penalty moratorium be implemented? |
| Q: | Should victims' opinions matter when considering the death penalty? |
Issue: Death Penalty vs. Life in Prison
| Q: | What is life in prison without parole? |
| Q: | Is life in prison without parole a better option than the death penalty? |
| Q: | Does the death penalty cost less than life in prison without parole? |
Issue: Religious Views
| Q: | Does Buddhism support the death penalty? |
| Q: | Does Christianity support the death penalty? |
| Q: | Does Hinduism support the death penalty? |
| Q: | Does Islam support the death penalty? |
| Q: | Does Judaism support the death penalty? |
Issue: Legal Considerations
| Q: | Is the death penalty unconstitutional? |
| Q: | Has DNA testing led to significant improvements in the criminal justice system? |
| Q: | Is poor representation by public defense attorneys a widespread problem in capital cases? |
| Q: | Is prosecutorial misconduct a widespread problem in capital cases? |
| Q: | What is clemency? |
| Q: | Does clemency serve as a safeguard in capital punishment cases? |