The Leviathan's Choice Capital Punishment in the Twenty-First Century

by Martinez, J. Michael; Richardson, Willliam D.; Hornsby, Brandon D.; Brown, Cheryl A.; Cagle, M Christine; Clouatre, Douglas; Douglas, Mark; Hutton, Chris; McAdams, John; Miller, Robert A.; Sarat, Austin; Schorn, Timothy J.; Smith, Elizabeth Theiss; Stasse

• ISBN13: 9780847697311
• ISBN10: 0847697312
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2002-09-24
• Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

Summary

One of the broadest and most balanced accounts of the capital punishment debate, The Leviathan's Choice explores the death penalty from four distinct perspectives--philosophical, theological, social science, and legal--and includes scholarly essays on both sides of the debate. An ideal reader for students and policy makers, this book is essential for everyone following the arguments surrounding the death penalty.

Table of Contents

Preface and Acknowledgments	ix
Introduction: Perspectives on the Death Penalty	xi
J. Michael Martinez
William D. Richardson
D. Brandon Hornsby
PART 1: PHILOSOPHICAL PERSPECTIVES
Low Deeds and High Goods: Philosophical Foundations of the Death Penalty in the American Regime	3	(16)
J. Michael Martinez
William D. Richardson
Cheryl A. Brown
Bearing Witness and Writing History in the Struggle against Capital Punishment	19	(10)
Austin Sarat
Why Capital Punishment?	29	(12)
Ernest van den Haag
``Woe to the Hand That Shed This Costly Blood'': Philosophical Arguments against the Death Penalty	41	(28)
J. Michael Martinez
PART 2: THEOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES
Religious Orientation, Race, and Support for the Death Penalty	69	(12)
Robert L. Young
Theological Arguments and the Case against Capital Punishment	81	(28)
Mark Douglas
Is Capital Punishment Wrong?	109	(6)
Jacob J. Vellenga
Deliverance from the Vicious Cycles of Murder	115	(26)
Glen H. Stassen
PART 3: SOCIAL SCIENCE PERSPECTIVES
Social Science Data and the Death Penalty: Understanding the Debate over ``A Broken System''	141	(18)
M. Christine Cagle
J. Michael Martinez
Fatal Flaws: The Implementation of the Death Penalty in the States	159	(16)
Elizabeth Theiss Smith
Race and the Death Penalty	175	(20)
John C. McAdams
``The Executioner's Face Is Always Well Hidden'': Social Science Arguments against Capital Punishment	195	(18)
J. Michael Martinez
PART 4: LEGAL PERSPECTIVES
Massive Resistance: Capital Punishment, the Abolitionist Movement, and the Supreme Court	213	(14)
Douglas Clouatre
``Freakishly Imposed'' or ``Fundamentally Fair''? Legal Arguments against the Death Penalty	227	(22)
J. Michael Maritinez
Legal Arguments in Favor of the Death Penalty	249	(22)
J. Michael Martinez
Flaws in Capital Sentencing: Skewing the Reasoned Moral Response	271	(30)
Chris Hutton
PART 5: FUTURE DIRECTIONS OF CAPITAL PUNISHMENT
The Death Penalty and the International Community: Evolving Norms or Persistent Differences?	301	(14)
Timothy J. Schorn
Reflections on the Future of the Death Penalty	315	(6)
Robert A. Miller
Notes	321	(70)
Index	391	(14)
About the Contributors	405