Learning Objectives

  1. To understand the basic controversies related to the death penalty.
  2. To grasp the decline in the use of the death penalty compared to the death row population.
  3. To be able to argue either side of the debate about the death penalty as a deterrent and as just deserts.
  4. To grasp the issue of racial disparity and capital punishment.
  5. To be able to describe the significance of at least three of the most important legal challenges to the death penalty that have come through the U.S. Supreme Court.
  6. To be able to name the states that use the death penalty the most and at least two states that have rejected it most recently.
  7. To learn about the comparative costs of death row.
  8. To gain insight into the dilemma surrounding methods of execution.