The Case for Capital Punishment

Alfred B. Heilbrun Jr.

As a punishment for our most serious crime—the intentional killing of a victim in an egregious way—the death penalty naturally attracts opposing moral views. One view says that the state should never execute a criminal no matter what the crime may be. The other view requires execution as justice is sought for the victim. This book considers a third possible view: capital punishment should be judged by its pragmatic value to society. Does the prospect of possible execution save lives by deterring the act of murder? Heilbrun presents evidence concerning whether state death penalties demonstrate the two necessary properties of a true deterrent: a reduction in intentional killing when present and an increase when removed. The Case for Capital Punishment contains an analysis of rarely-considered factors that influence the deterrence of murder and a discussion of the common criticisms of capital punishment.

Hamilton Books

Pages: 128 • Trim: 5½ x 8½

978-0-7618-6035-8 • Paperback • December 2012 • $43.99 • (£35.00)

978-0-7618-6036-5 • eBook • December 2012 • $41.50 • (£35.00)

Subjects: Political Science / Law Enforcement, Political Science / Essays, Law / Criminal LAW / Sentencing, Law / Essays

The Case for Capital Punishment

Paperback

eBook

Summary

As a punishment for our most serious crime—the intentional killing of a victim in an egregious way—the death penalty naturally attracts opposing moral views. One view says that the state should never execute a criminal no matter what the crime may be. The other view requires execution as justice is sought for the victim. This book considers a third possible view: capital punishment should be judged by its pragmatic value to society. Does the prospect of possible execution save lives by deterring the act of murder? Heilbrun presents evidence concerning whether state death penalties demonstrate the two necessary properties of a true deterrent: a reduction in intentional killing when present and an increase when removed. The Case for Capital Punishment contains an analysis of rarely-considered factors that influence the deterrence of murder and a discussion of the common criticisms of capital punishment.

Details

Hamilton Books

Pages: 128 • Trim: 5½ x 8½

978-0-7618-6035-8 • Paperback • December 2012 • $43.99 • (£35.00)

978-0-7618-6036-5 • eBook • December 2012 • $41.50 • (£35.00)

Subjects: Political Science / Law Enforcement, Political Science / Essays, Law / Criminal LAW / Sentencing, Law / Essays

Author

Alfred B. Heilbrun Jr. has worked for more than half a century as a university professor, researcher, and scholar in his chosen field of psychology. During his long career he has chosen to avoid popular solutions to issues, preferring to find answers through programs of scientific investigation. This independence of thought has culminated in seven books and over 220 scientific papers for which he has been the sole or primary author.

Table of Contents

Preface
Chapter 1 The Background for Considering the Death Penalty Controversy
Chapter 2 The Method of Study
Chapter 3 Results of the Study
Chapter 4 What to Make of the Results
Chapter 5 Where Do We Go From Here?
Chapter 6 Summary, Conclusions, and Post-script
References
About the Author

The Case for Capital Punishment

Alfred B. Heilbrun Jr.

The Case for Capital Punishment

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