The Death Penalty
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Annotated Bibliography on the Death Penalty Topic
Haines H. Against Capital Punishment: The Anti-Death Penalty Movement in America, 1972-1994. New York: Oxford University Press; 1996. Print
Haines writes the struggles that death penalty abolitionists have gone through since 1972 when the pro-death movement started gaining momentum. Initially, it had been the death penalty abolitionists again government agencies. The increasing popularity of the pro- death movement hardened the quest for the abolishment of the death penalty.
The author begins by condemning the justice system. He terms is as racist, ineffective, expensive and cruel. The source is credible because the author draws references from past work, government statistics, and personal interviews. The author also takes a neutral stand regarding the issue of the death penalty. His main argument is about the struggles that abolitionist movements have had to face.
This book is useful for this research question because it explains the contempt of the death penalty from the perspective of anti- death penalty activist groups. The book also highlights the reason why anti- death penalty groups have not been able to influence the masses to speak against the death penalty.
Hans Zeisel, Alec M. Gallup. Death penalty sentiment in the United States. Journal of Quantitative Criminology. September 1989: 5(3): 285-296
This journal article by the duo is a research project aimed at finding out the public opinion regarding the death penalty. They did the social experiment in the US. The target respondents were people from all socio- economic backgrounds. Results showed that the average percentage of Americans supporting the death penalty were 73% in 1989. The proportion varied from one group to another based on political affiliation, sex, and ethnic background.
The findings of this research are credible because the researchers used the appropriate tools. They created a questionnaire that offered alternative positions to the correspondents. For instance, if a correspondent answered in the affirmative, a follow up question would inquire whether they would change their position if the government denied death row inmates’ parole.
In every issue, it is always important to find out how many are in support and those that oppose. However, the percentages for and against the death penalty will not affect this research.
Hong Lu, Miethe Terrance. China’s death penalty: History, Law and contemporary practices. New York: Routledge: 2007. Print.
The book is about death penalty China. The authors demystify numerous misconceptions that the Western media hold regarding executions in China. The western media portrays the death penalty in China as a means used by the government to mitigate the opposition. The authors give examples of death row convicts that were pardoned because of good behavior. They also cite some offenders that deserved the penalty.
The book is a credible source because it is built on actual research. Unlike the biased reports that we see in the western media, the authors of this book take a neutral stand regarding the issue in china.
I will use this source to compare the United States case and Chinese case, with regard to the death penalty. This source is useful because it provides the perspective of a different country in regard to the death penalty. Just like in the USA, China started using the lethal injection in 1979. It also talks about the public perception of the death penalty in China, which can be used to reflect about the American case.