Annotated Bibliography in Support of Capital Punishment (Essay Sample)

Annotated Bibliography in Support of Capital Punishment
Cassell, P. G. (2000). We're Not Executing the Innocent. The Wall Street Journal, Retrieved March 28, 2011, from /Liebman/Cassell_Innocents.htm
The author of this article argues in support of death penalty by addressing the claim by those opposed to capital punishment about unjust executions of innocent people. He goes further to cite statistics of the number of previously convicted inmates who are currently serving time for homicide to show why justly convicted murderers should be executed. The author is a law professor at the University of Utah. He gives examples of Supreme Court Judges and why many of them believe death penalty should be approved in all states. I found this article quite informative and will use it in arguing against the anti-death penalty claims of unjust executions.
Ellsworth, P. C. and Gross, S. R. (1994), Hardening of the Attitudes: Americans' Views on the Death Penalty. Journal of Social Issues, 50: 19–52.
Phoebe C. Ellsworth, a professor of psychology and a professor of law at the University of Michigan and Samuel R. Gross, a professor of law at the University of Michigan confirms the supposition that the majority of peoples’ death penalty stances are based on emotions and not information or rational argument. Their argument is extremely vital to my research article since it urges the lawyers to base their decisions, especially when dealing with death penalty cases, on factual facts and not their feelings when passing judgment.
Land, K. C., Teske, H. C. & Zheng, Hui. (2009). The Short-Term Effects of Executions on Homicides: Deterrence, Displacement, or Both? Criminology, 47(4), 1009-1043.
This article clearly discusses the importance of death penalty in saving the lives of innocent citizens. The article is based on a research conducted for 25 years from the 1970s to the late 1990s that concludes that a good number of lives have been saved through declines ensuing homicide rates after executions. In Texas for example, from January 1994 through December 2005, there is concrete evidence that indicate a reductions in homicide by 18 fewer homicides in the first and fourth months after an execution. This journal assists my project as it clearly shows that lives wasted in homicide cases can be saved through the death penalty.
Lynch, M. (2002). Capital punishment as moral imperative: Pro-death-penalty discourse on the Internet. Punishment & Society, 4(2), 213-236
Mona Lynch, the author of the article examines the issue of capital punishment and the role it plays in the American society. She asserts that the issue needs to be consulted at a macro-level in order to be fully understood. The article reveals the effective and symbolic nature of capital punishment in the United States and shows why it is unproblematic and a preferred method of justice for both the victims and the society at large. I found the article very relevant to my project because it addresses the positive effects of death penalty for both the innocent victim and the capital murderer.
Sunstein, C. S. & Vermeule, A. (2006). Is Capital Punishment Morally Required? The Relevance of Life-Life Tradeoffs. Stanford Law Review, 58, 703
This research article campaigns for the death penalty arguing that, the murderers should be executed to ensure that they do not commit such atrocities again. The authors of this article argue that life is sacred and is u...