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Use of capital punishment has declined in the United States and around the world over the centuries. However, for the most serious of crimes, capital punishment is still an option in most states, and a majority of U. S. citizens support its continued use. From methods of execution to the legal principles behind Supreme Court decisions, this encyclopedia provides the background needed to understand this complex issue. (20020801)
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THE GREENHAVEN ENCYCLOPEDIA OF Other books in the Greenhaven Encyclopedia series: Ancient Egypt Ancient Rome The Civil War Greek and Roman Mythology The Middle Ages The Vietnam War Witchcraft THE GREENHAVEN ENCYCLOPEDIA OF Bruce E.R. Thompson Mary Jo Poole, Consulting Editor Bruce Glassman, Vice President Bonnie Szumski, Publisher Helen Cothran, Managing Editor GREENHAVEN PRESS An imprint of Gale, a part of Cengage Learning © 2006 Gale, a part of Cengage Learning Cengage Learning and Star Logo are trademarks For more information, contact Greenhaven Press 27500 Drake Rd. Farmington Hills, MI 48331-3535 Or you can visit our Internet site at http://www.gale.com ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this work covered by the copyright hereon may be reproduced or used in any form or by any means—graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, Web distribution or information storage retrieval systems—without the written permission of the publisher. LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA Thompson, Bruce E.R., 1952– Capital Punishment / by Bruce E.R. Thompson p. cm. — (Greenhaven encyclopedia of) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-7377-2174-X 1. Capital punishment—United States—Encyclopedias. I. Title. II. Series. KF9227.C2T48 2006 345.73'0773—dc22 2004027429 Printed in the United States of America CONTENTS Preface, 10 A Abbott, Burton, 12 actual innocence, 13 affirmative defense, 13 aggravating circumstances, 15 Alabama, 17 Alaska, 18 Aldridge v. United States, 18 American Bar Association (ABA), 19 American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), 19 American League to Abolish Capital Punishment, 20 American Society for the Abolition of Capital Punishment, 20 Amnesty International, 20 Amsterdam, Anthony Guy, 20 anesthesia, 21 Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act, 21 appeals process, 22 Arizona, 23 Arkansas, 25 Assyrian Code, 26 Atkins v. Virginia, 26 B Barefoot v. Estelle, 28 Beccaria, Cesare, 28 Beck v. Alabama, 30 Bedau, Hugo Adam, 30 Beidler, John X., 31 Bell v. Ohio, 31 benefit of clergy, 32 Bentham, Jeremy, 32 Berns, Walter, 33 Bible, 34 Billington family, 34 Black Code, 34 Blackmun, Harry A., 35 Booth v. Maryland, 36 Bovee, Marvin H., 36 Bradford, William, 36 Branch v. Texas, 37 breaking on the wheel, 37 Brennan, William J., 38 Brooks, Charles, 39 Buenoano, Judias, 39 Bundy, Theodore, 40 burden of proof, 41 burning at the stake, 42 C Calcraft, William, 44 California, 44 Callins v. Collins, 47 capital crimes, 47 censorship of reporting on executions, 49 Cheever, George Barrell, 50 Chessman, Caryl, 51 Clark, Stephen, 53 clemency, 53 closure, 55 Coker v. Georgia, 55 Colorado, 56 competence, 57 Connecticut, 57 Constitution of the United States, 58 corporal punishment, 60 cost of capital punishment, 62 crucifixion, 63 cruel and unusual punishment, 64 D Dallas, George Mifflin, 67 Darrow, Clarence, 68 Death Penalty Information Center (DPIC), 69 death-qualified jury, 70 death row, 70 decapitation, 72 Delaware, 72 deontology, 74 Dershowitz, Alan, 74 determinism, 75 deterrence, 76 dissection, 77 District of Columbia, 78 divine authority, 78 DNA evidence, 79 double jeopardy, 81 Draconian Code, 81 drawing and quartering, 82 due process, 82 E Eddings. v. Oklahoma, 84 Eighth Amendment, 84 electric chair,