'The Death of a Policy': The Supreme Court and Capital Punishment.

Abstract

Capital punishment has been part of the criminal justice systems of this country since colonial times. Laws and methods of execution have changed, but thirty-nine states, the District of Columbia, and the Federal Government retain the death penalty. The US Supreme Court held in 1972 that capital punishment as currently practiced is cruel and unusual and therefore unconstitutional. The paper provides an analysis of the court decision and holds that the death penalty can be restored under conditions that will withstand future Court review.

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Mar 21, 1973
Accession Number
AD0760882

Entities

People

  • John R. Underwood

Organizations

  • United States Army War College

Tags

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Criminal Justice System
  • Criminals
  • District Of Columbia
  • Governments
  • National Governments
  • Supreme Court
  • United States Government

Readers

  • Government and Public Administration Law.
  • Political Violence and Terrorism Studies.
  • Systems Analysis and Design