The Supreme Court and Capital Punishment (The Supreme Court's Power in American Government)

Through expert analysis and primary documents, The Supreme Court and Capital Punishment explores how rulings throughout the Courts history have shaped the guidelines under which Americans have been tried, convicted, sentenced, and put to death for capital offenses. Historian Michael Parrish recounts the history of the Courts involvement in all aspects of the death penalty, chronicling the major cases that define American capital punishment jurisprudence. Placing considerable emphasis upon twentieth century developments, the book examines the impact of these rulings upon the behavior of legislators, judges, prosecutors, defense attorneys, and defendants. The book also discusses in great detail the impact of race on the death penalty. As defendants and victims, African-Americans on trial for their lives in Southern courts became the central figures in the design and redesign of capital punishment in the twentieth century. The book illustrates how the Courts effective counsel decisions have played a major role in how states shape their public defender systems and how they respond to the claims of impoverished defendants charged with capital crimes. Other important topics include the Courts rulings on the constitutionality of execution methods; public opinion; the execution of minors and the mentally ill; and recent state death penalty repeals.