Annotated Bibliography On Capital Punishment

Capital Punishment

“Capital Punishment.” Issues & Controversies. Infobase Learning, 1 Feb. 2016. Web. 29 Mar. 2016. . This article focuses on whether the death penalty is humane or if it should be illegal in the United States due to the eighth amendment (cruel and unusual punishment). In the United States history execution was performed in front of an audience. At first, the audience could be anyone but as time went on only a few members could watch an execution. After the Furman v. Georgia case, the death penalty became illegal until 1976 when the supreme court ruled its return. The Gregg v. Georgia case took place in 1976 and the supreme court called the death penalty legal once again. After this case, the number of executions fluctuated. Most states were trying to decide whether the death penalty should be legal. The supporters argued that capital punishment was a necessary evil because it kept the crime rates down. It also made the potential murderer second guess taking an innocent man’s life. On the other hand, the opposers stated that the death penalty was inhumane and violates the eighth amendment.

“Lethal Injection.” Issues & Controversies. Infobase Learning, 19 Oct. 2007. Web. 29 Mar. 2016. .

This article is questioning whether or not lethal injection is a constitutional method of execution. In some cases, the prisoner felt no pain or did not appear to be in pain. In other cases, the cocktail did not put the prisoner to sleep, leaving them to deal with excruciating pain from the lethal injection. Just as the previous article stated, opposers say this method of execution violates the eighth amendment. The article also says, as people reviewed the history of lethal injections, the new cocktail is considered to be a more humane way for prisoners to be put to