Last updated on: 3/13/2013 | Author: ProCon.org

John Lamperti, PhD Biography

Title:
Professor Emeritus of Mathematics at Dartmouth College
Position:
Con to the question "Should the Death Penalty Be Allowed?"
Reasoning:

“If executions protected innocent lives… that would weigh in the balance against capital punishment’s heavy social costs. But despite years of trying, this benefit has not been proven to exist; the only certain effects of capital punishment are its liabilities… The death penalty serves no social purpose, and its abolition would be a practical and a moral step forward.”

“Does Capital Punishment Deter Murder? A Brief Look at the Evidence,” math.dartmouth.edu, Mar. 2010
Theoretical Expertise Ranking:
    Experts
Individuals with MDs, JDs, PhDs, or equivalent advanced degrees in fields relevant to death penalty issues. Also top-level government officials (such as foreign leaders, US presidents, Founding Fathers, Supreme Court Justices, members of legislative bodies, cabinet members, military leaders, etc.) with positions relevant to death penalty issues.
Involvement and Affiliations:
  • Professor of Mathematics, Dartmouth College, 1963-present (emeritus since 1998)
  • Research Associate, Rockefeller University, 1962-1963
  • Assistant Professor of Mathematics, Stanford University, 1959-1962
  • Instructor, Mathematics, Stanford University, 1957-1959
  • Research Fellow, California Institute of Technology, 1956-1957
Education:
  • PhD, Mathematics, California Institute of Technology, 1957
  • BS, Mathematics and Physics, Haverford College, 1953
Other:
  • Delivered testimony on the deterrent effect of the death penalty in Vermont and New Hampshire in 2010.
  • Fellow, Institute of Mathematical Sciences, 1970
Quoted in:
  1. Does the Death Penalty Deter Crime?