Deck 13: The Death Penalty

Question 1

Which of the following crimes is not among those for which the death penalty most commonly has been imposed?

A) Murder
B) Treason
C) Hijacking
D) Rape

Answer 1

Hijacking

Question 2

Currently, which of the following is the most frequently used method of execution in the United States?

A) Gas chamber
B) Lethal injection
C) Electrocution
D) Firing squad

Answer 2

Lethal injection

Question 3

Historically, where did executions in the United States most often occur?

A) On public display
B) In a private chamber
C) Inside the prison
D) At the sentencing location

Answer 3

On public display

Question 4

Currently, how many states have abolished the death penalty?

A) 10
B) 14
C) 19
D) 22

Question 5

A(n) ________ crime is a crime for which an offender can receive the death penalty.

A) life certain
B) death penalty
C) executable
D) capital

Question 6

Which state in the United States has executed the most offenders?

A) Virginia
B) Texas
C) Oklahoma
D) Florida

Question 7

In which case did the U.S. Supreme Court impose a moratorium on the death penalty in the United States?

A) Wilkerson v. Utah
B) Atkins v. Virginia
C) Gregg v. Georgia
D) Furman v. Georgia

Question 8

Court rulings against the use of capital punishment generally involve which U.S. Constitutional Amendment?

A) First
B) Fourth
C) Eighth
D) Tenth

Question 9

In the case of Gregg v. Georgia, the Supreme Court

A) mandated a bifurcated trial in capital cases.
B) approved the mandatory imposition of the death penalty in cases of aggravated murder.
C) rejected the imposition of the death penalty for the crime of rape.
D) held that the death penalty was cruel and unusual punishment.

Question 10

The Supreme Court's ruling in Furman v. Georgia revolved around

A) the inhumane methods used to execute offenders in Georgia at that time.
B) the arbitrary imposition of the death penalty that resulted in discrimination against minorities.
C) the excessive nature of the death penalty for the crime of simple murder.
D) the unconstitutionality of executing mentally retarded defendants.

Question 11

The 1910 case of Weems v. United States was unique in what way?

A) It was the first time the Supreme Court invalidated an excessive penalty.
B) It was the only time the Supreme Court held that no penalty is excessive, if evenly applied.
C) It was the first time the Supreme Court defined excessive punishment.
D) It was the only time the Supreme Court defined grounds for execution.

Question 12

In the case of Atkins v. Virginia, the Supreme Court held that

A) it is unconstitutional to impose a death sentence on juveniles.
B) the infliction of unnecessary pain during execution is unconstitutional.
C) it is unconstitutional to execute mentally retarded defendants.
D) electrocution as a method of execution is not unconstitutional.

Question 13

The prosecutor's gatekeeper function implies that

A) if the prosecutor declines to seek the death penalty, the jury may still impose this penalty.
B) if the prosecutor declines to seek the death penalty, the jury may not impose this penalty.
C) if the jury imposes the death penalty, the prosecutor may appeal the jury's decision.
D) if the jury imposes the death penalty, the prosecutor may not appeal the jury's decision.

Question 14

What role does race play in the application of the death penalty in the United States?

A) Race is not a factor in death penalty decision making.
B) Race is a formally recognized factor in the death penalty decision-making process.
C) The race of the victim appears to influence the decision to seek a death sentence.
D) The race of the offender does not appear to affect the likelihood of being charged with a death-eligible crime.

Question 15

Because the South has the highest murder rate and also the most executions, while the Northeast has the lowest murder rate and accounts for the fewest executions, you could argue that

A) the death penalty clearly has a deterrent effect on potential offenders.
B) the death penalty does not appear to have a deterrent effect.
C) public support for the death penalty is greater in the South.
D) the execution process in the South is less humane than in the Northeast.

Question 16

Which of the following is a legitimate explanation for the fact that women are less likely to receive a death sentence than men?

A) Juries are less willing to sentence female offenders to death.
B) A female offender is more likely to be a juvenile when she commits a murder.
C) Women are more likely to kill strangers, rather than friends or family members.
D) Homicides by women are less likely to involve the specific circumstances that increase the likelihood of a death sentence.

Question 17

Which of the following is not a retentionist position on the death penalty?

A) Societal protection
B) Just deserts
C) Social duty
D) Revenge

Question 18

Which of the following justifications for the death penalty argues that victims are entitled to "closure"?

A) Societal protection
B) Revenge
C) Just deserts
D) Social duty

Question 19

Which of the following is not a common characteristic of inmates on death row?

A) They generally are academically deficient.
B) They tend to suffer from psychological disorders.
C) They are more likely to be white males.
D) They tend to be more violent in prison.

Question 20

Which of the following statements regarding the cost of the death penalty is true?

A) Invoking the death penalty costs the state less than sentencing the offender to life without parole.
B) Invoking the death penalty costs the state more than sentencing the offender to life without parole.
C) The cost of invoking the death penalty is about the same sentencing the offender to life without parole.
D) There is no clear information regarding the comparative costs of the death penalty and a sentence of life imprisonment without parole.

Question 21

As of 2016, approximately how many prisoners are currently on death row in the United States?

A) 500
B) 1,000
C) 3,000
D) 10,000

Question 22

The federal government has abolished capital punishment.

Question 23

Lethal injection is the most frequently used technique of execution.

Question 24

In Furman v. Georgia, the Supreme Court lifted the moratorium on the death penalty in the United States.

Question 25

In the 1890 case In re Kemmler, the Supreme Court held that the electric chair represented cruel and unusual punishment.

Question 26

The race of the victim as been shown to affect the prosecutor's decision to seek the death penalty.

Question 27

Recent decisions suggest that the Supreme Court favors expanding the use of the death penalty.

Question 28

If the prosecutor chooses not to seek the death penalty, the jury cannot impose it.

Question 29

The Northeast has the lowest murder rate in the United States and accounts for the lowest percentage of executions.

Question 30

Public support for the death penalty is greater than for life imprisonment without parole.

Question 31

Compared to men, women are more likely to be dropped out of the system as the capital punishment process progresses.

Question 32

The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that the execution of offenders who were under 18 at the time of the crime is unconstitutional.

Question 33

The most recent Supreme Court ruling on mentally challenged offenders upheld the constitutionality of executing offenders with intellectual disabilities, but permitted mental retardation to be considered as a mitigating factor during sentencing.

Question 34

The just deserts argument justifies capital punishment by arguing that executed offenders cannot commit additional crimes.

Question 35

Blacks who kill white victims are more likely to be sentenced to death than whites who kill black victims.

Question 36

If tried in U.S. courts, military detainees held at Guantanamo Bay could potentially receive the death penalty.

Question 37

Imprisoning offenders for life without parole is cheaper than invoking the death penalty.

Question 38

The imposition of a sentence of death by the state is known as ________ punishment.

Question 39

A(n) ________ is the killing of a convicted offender by the government.

Question 40

The execution technique most frequently used today is ________ injection.

Question 41

In the 1977 case of ________ v. Georgia, the Supreme Court ended the moratorium on the death penalty.

Question 42

A(n) ________ crime is one for which an offender can receive the death penalty.

Question 43

In the case of Furman v. Georgia, the Court focused on the ________ and discriminatory nature of the death penalty.

Question 44

An offender who has the intent to kill prior to committing the crime is said to have ________ aforethought.

Question 45

Arguments regarding the constitutionality of the death penalty generally focus on the "cruel and unusual punishment"
ban found in the ________ Amendment.

Question 46

Because they control the jury's ability to impose the death penalty, prosecutors have a(n) ________ function in the judicial system.

Question 47

The question of ________ revolves around whether capital punishment is being applied evenhandedly across a jurisdiction.

Question 48

The Supreme Court has held that the Constitution forbids the execution of offenders who were under the age of ________ at the time the crime was committed.

Question 49

A person advocating ________ as a justification for capital punishment emphasizes the need to seek retribution for a prior harm or wrongdoing.

Question 50

The societal ________ argument justifies capital punishment by claiming that executing offenders prevents them from committing another crime and harming others.

Question 51

The mad ________ argument put for by retentionists claims that that some killers on death row must be executed because they would continue to kill other victims.

Question 52

It costs ________ to invoke the death penalty than to incarcerate an offender in prison for life.

Question 53

Match the following retentionist argument with its meaning

-Revenge

A) Execution provides victims, survivors, and the state with closure
B) Offenders should receive severe punishment because of the nature of the crime committed
C) Capital punishment reduces the crime rate
D) Once executed, an offender cannot commit another crime
E) Some offenders will continue to kill if they are not executed and are eventually released

Question 54

Match the following retentionist argument with its meaning

-Deterrence

A) Execution provides victims, survivors, and the state with closure
B) Offenders should receive severe punishment because of the nature of the crime committed
C) Capital punishment reduces the crime rate
D) Once executed, an offender cannot commit another crime
E) Some offenders will continue to kill if they are not executed and are eventually released

Question 55

Match the following retentionist argument with its meaning

-Just deserts

A) Execution provides victims, survivors, and the state with closure
B) Offenders should receive severe punishment because of the nature of the crime committed
C) Capital punishment reduces the crime rate
D) Once executed, an offender cannot commit another crime
E) Some offenders will continue to kill if they are not executed and are eventually released

Question 56

Match the following retentionist argument with its meaning

-Societal protection

A) Execution provides victims, survivors, and the state with closure
B) Offenders should receive severe punishment because of the nature of the crime committed
C) Capital punishment reduces the crime rate
D) Once executed, an offender cannot commit another crime
E) Some offenders will continue to kill if they are not executed and are eventually released

Question 57

Match the following retentionist argument with its meaning

-"Mad dog"

A) Execution provides victims, survivors, and the state with closure
B) Offenders should receive severe punishment because of the nature of the crime committed
C) Capital punishment reduces the crime rate
D) Once executed, an offender cannot commit another crime
E) Some offenders will continue to kill if they are not executed and are eventually released

Question 58

Match the Supreme Court case with its decision

-Furman v. Georgia

A) Found that electrocution was not unconstitutional just because it was unusual
B) Ended the moratorium on the death penalty and mandated a bifurcated trial
C) Examined contemporary thought on the issue of cruelty
D) Struck down the use of the death penalty for defendants with mental retardation
E) Struck down the use of the death penalty for juveniles
F) The first time the Court invalidated a penalty because it was found to be excessive
G) Imposed a moratorium on the death penalty throughout the United States

Question 59

Match the Supreme Court case with its decision

-Gregg v. Georgia

A) Found that electrocution was not unconstitutional just because it was unusual
B) Ended the moratorium on the death penalty and mandated a bifurcated trial
C) Examined contemporary thought on the issue of cruelty
D) Struck down the use of the death penalty for defendants with mental retardation
E) Struck down the use of the death penalty for juveniles
F) The first time the Court invalidated a penalty because it was found to be excessive
G) Imposed a moratorium on the death penalty throughout the United States

Question 60

Match the Supreme Court case with its decision

-Atkins v. Virginia

A) Found that electrocution was not unconstitutional just because it was unusual
B) Ended the moratorium on the death penalty and mandated a bifurcated trial
C) Examined contemporary thought on the issue of cruelty
D) Struck down the use of the death penalty for defendants with mental retardation
E) Struck down the use of the death penalty for juveniles
F) The first time the Court invalidated a penalty because it was found to be excessive
G) Imposed a moratorium on the death penalty throughout the United States

Question 61

Match the Supreme Court case with its decision

-Wilkerson v. Utah

A) Found that electrocution was not unconstitutional just because it was unusual
B) Ended the moratorium on the death penalty and mandated a bifurcated trial
C) Examined contemporary thought on the issue of cruelty
D) Struck down the use of the death penalty for defendants with mental retardation
E) Struck down the use of the death penalty for juveniles
F) The first time the Court invalidated a penalty because it was found to be excessive
G) Imposed a moratorium on the death penalty throughout the United States

Question 62

Match the Supreme Court case with its decision

-In re Kemmler

A) Found that electrocution was not unconstitutional just because it was unusual
B) Ended the moratorium on the death penalty and mandated a bifurcated trial
C) Examined contemporary thought on the issue of cruelty
D) Struck down the use of the death penalty for defendants with mental retardation
E) Struck down the use of the death penalty for juveniles
F) The first time the Court invalidated a penalty because it was found to be excessive
G) Imposed a moratorium on the death penalty throughout the United States

Question 63

Match the Supreme Court case with its decision

-Weems v. U.S.

A) Found that electrocution was not unconstitutional just because it was unusual
B) Ended the moratorium on the death penalty and mandated a bifurcated trial
C) Examined contemporary thought on the issue of cruelty
D) Struck down the use of the death penalty for defendants with mental retardation
E) Struck down the use of the death penalty for juveniles
F) The first time the Court invalidated a penalty because it was found to be excessive
G) Imposed a moratorium on the death penalty throughout the United States

Question 64

Match the Supreme Court case with its decision

-Roper v. Simmons

A) Found that electrocution was not unconstitutional just because it was unusual
B) Ended the moratorium on the death penalty and mandated a bifurcated trial
C) Examined contemporary thought on the issue of cruelty
D) Struck down the use of the death penalty for defendants with mental retardation
E) Struck down the use of the death penalty for juveniles
F) The first time the Court invalidated a penalty because it was found to be excessive
G) Imposed a moratorium on the death penalty throughout the United States

Question 65

Explain how the race of the victim affects the offender's risk of receiving a death sentence.

Question 66

Explain the Supreme Court cases of Furman v. Georgia and Gregg v. Georgia and the impact they had on capital punishment in the United States.

Question 67

What is cruel and unusual punishment? What are the major issues associated with the prohibition of cruel and unusual punishment, as articulated in the Eighth Amendment?

Question 68

Provide a rational argument in favor of retaining the death penalty. Identify at least three reasons why the death penalty should be retained.

Question 69

Provide a rational argument in favor of the elimination of the death penalty. Identify at least three reasons why the death penalty should be abolished.

Question 70

The Supreme Court has held that it is unconstitutional to execute certain categories of individuals (such as those whose crimes were committed as juveniles or who are or intellectually disabled). Do you agree with the Supreme Court's limitations or should everyone be death-sentence eligible? Are there any other categories of people that also should be exempted from the death penalty, and if so, which ones? Explain and justify your answer.

Question 71

Deterrence is commonly cited as a justification for the death penalty. Do you agree with this? Why or why not? Can you think of additional ways to address the issue of violent offender recidivism, especially in cases of violent crime that do not require the death penalty? Are these alternatives similarly suitable? Why or why not?