Learning Objectives

16.1  Explain the impact of public opinion on the retention or abolition of the death penalty

16.2  Know the trends in the administration of the death penalty

16.3  Identify the major Supreme Court death penalty cases

16.4  Discuss the financial cost/benefit ratio of the death penalty

16.5  Explain the difficulty in determining whether the death penalty is a deterrent

16.6  Analyze the nuances relating to racial disparity and the death penalty

16.7  Describe the innocence revolution and what it means

16.8  Understand the issues surrounding the use of genetic and neuroimaging technology for determining exoneration and mitigation