SAGE Journal Articles

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Journal Article 1: Tobolowsky, P. M. (2004). Capital punishment and the mentally retarded offender. The Prison Journal, 84(3), 340-360. doi:10.1177/0032885504268182

Abstract: In Atkins v. Virginia, the U.S. Supreme Court held that the execution of mentally retarded offenders is constitutionally prohibited by the Eighth Amendment—a holding directly opposite to the conclusion it reached on this issue 13 years previously in Penry v. Lynaugh. This article examines the specific holdings in these two landmark decisions dealing with mentally retarded capital offenders as well as the roles they play in the evolution of the Supreme Court’s capital punishment jurisprudence.

 

Journal Article 2: Almond, P. (2009). Understanding the seriousness of corporate crime: Some lessons for the new ‘corporate manslaughter’ offence. Criminology and Criminal Justice, 9(2), 145-164. doi:10.1177/1748895809102550

Abstract: The measurement of public attitudes towards the criminal law has become an important area of research in recent years because of the perceived desirability of ensuring that the legal system reflects broader societal values. In particular, studies into public perceptions of crime seriousness have attempted to measure the degree of concordance that exists between law and public opinion in the organization and enforcement of criminal offences. These understandings of perceived crime seriousness are particularly important in relation to high-profile issues where public confidence in the law is central to the legal agenda, such as the enforcement of work-related fatality cases. A need to respond to public concern over this issue was cited as a primary justification for the introduction of the Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act 2007. This article will suggest that, although literature looking at the perceived seriousness of corporate crime and, particularly, health and safety offences is limited in volume and generalist in scope, important lessons can be gleaned from existing literature, and pressing questions are raised that demand further empirical investigation.