Question 1

In 1994, public opinion polls found that 80% of the public favored the death penalty for persons convicted of murder. Since then (through 2015) the percentage favoring the death penalty

Accepted Answer

Public opinion on the death penalty has shown a gradual decline over the years. By 2015, support for the death penalty among the public had decreased to around 60%, reflecting a significant shift in societal attitudes towards capital punishment.

Question 2

African Americans were 10-12% of the total U.S. population during the twentieth century, but were 54% of persons executed in mid-twentieth century.

Accepted Answer

African Americans, while making up a relatively small percentage of the total U.S. population, were disproportionately represented in execution statistics, highlighting racial disparities in the application of the death penalty.

Question 3

People who have been personally and directly involved in executing someone have been known to suffer PTSD-like symptoms as a result of that involvement.

Accepted Answer

Individuals who have been directly involved in the execution process, such as executioners or other personnel, have reported experiencing symptoms similar to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), including nightmares, flashbacks, and emotional distress, as a result of their involvement.

Question 4

Today, all U.S. jurisdictions with the death penalty have authorized lethal injection as a method of execution.

Accepted Answer

All U.S. jurisdictions that currently have the death penalty authorize lethal injection as a method of execution, making it the primary method used for capital punishment in the United States.

Question 5

Some historians are surprised that capital punishment became popular in the United States because it had been banned in all 13 colonies.

Accepted Answer

Capital punishment was not banned in all 13 colonies; in fact, it was a legal form of punishment for various crimes during colonial times in America.

Question 6

Since 1976, all executions have been for murder with aggravating circumstances.

Accepted Answer

Since the reinstatement of the death penalty in 1976, the United States Supreme Court has required that in order for the death penalty to be applied, the crime must involve murder with specific aggravating circumstances, such as multiple murders, murder of a police officer, murder for hire, or murder committed during the commission of another felony.

Question 7

The Furman decision was not against capital punishment itself; it was against the way it was being implemented.

Accepted Answer

The Furman v. Georgia decision in 1972 by the U.S. Supreme Court was against the arbitrary and inconsistent imposition of the death penalty, not against the constitutionality of capital punishment itself.

Question 8

Most inmates on death row today are held in prisons in the West.

Accepted Answer

Most inmates on death row today are held in prisons in the South, with states like Texas, Florida, and Alabama having significant death row populations.

Question 9

Assuming that all U.S. Supreme Court rulings have been followed, persons currently on death row should be offenders who were convicted of first degree murder with aggravating circumstances, who were neither mentally ill nor intellectually disabled and who were at least 18 years of age at the time of their crime.

Accepted Answer

The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that the death penalty can only be applied to individuals who were 18 years of age or older at the time of their crime, were not intellectually disabled, and were not suffering from severe mental illness at the time they committed a capital offense, typically involving first-degree murder with aggravating circumstances.

Question 10

As a result of court rulings that prohibit the execution of persons who are mentally ill or intellectually disabled, a review of 100 recent executions confirmed that none of the executed offenders suffered from intellectual disability or showed symptoms of mental illness.

Accepted Answer

Court rulings indeed prohibit the execution of persons who are mentally ill or intellectually disabled, but there have been documented cases where individuals with such conditions were executed, indicating that the system does not always effectively identify or protect those who should be exempt under these rulings.

Question 11

A review of 23 years of state death sentences found that more than 70% of the reversals were the result of egregiously incompetent lawyering, prosecutorial misconduct or suppression of evidence, misinstruction of jurors, or judge or juror bias.

Accepted Answer

Studies and reviews of death penalty cases over many years have consistently found high rates of reversals due to various forms of misconduct and errors, including incompetent lawyering, prosecutorial misconduct, suppression of evidence, and issues related to jury instructions or bias.

Question 12

After years of research with different methodologies and statistical approaches, the empirical evidence seems to clearly suggest that capital punishment is an excellent general deterrent to murder.

Accepted Answer

Numerous studies have shown mixed results on the deterrent effect of capital punishment on murder rates, with many concluding that it does not have a significant deterrent effect compared to life imprisonment.

Question 13

One example of the unfairness in how the death penalty is applied is shown by noting that although women account for about 2% of all death sentences imposed in the United States, they represent more than 10% of persons executed.

Accepted Answer

Women account for about 2% of all death sentences imposed in the United States, but they represent a much smaller percentage of those actually executed, not more than 10%. Historically, the number of women executed in the U.S. is significantly lower than that of men.

Question 14

In a study of death penalty cases in Texas, researchers found that capital defendants with court-appointed lawyers were just as likely to receive a death sentence as were those who hired their own attorneys.

Accepted Answer

The answer of In a study of death penalty cases...

Question 15

Since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976, more white people have been executed than have black people.

Accepted Answer

Since the reinstatement of the death penalty in 1976, more white individuals have been executed in the United States than black individuals, according to statistics from the Death Penalty Information Center.

Question 16

According to a review of methodologically sophisticated studies, black and Hispanic suspects-especially those who victimize whites-are more likely to be charged and fully prosecuted than are white suspects.

Accepted Answer

Research has consistently shown that racial disparities exist in the criminal justice system, with black and Hispanic suspects, particularly those who victimize whites, being more likely to face charges and full prosecution compared to white suspects. This is supported by various studies that have employed rigorous methodologies to examine the treatment of suspects of different races within the legal system.

Question 17

African-Americans are 13% of the U.S. population and comprise a similar percentage of homicide victims.

Accepted Answer

The answer of African-Americans are 13% of the U.S. population...

Question 18

National polls found that most people believe an innocent person has been executed since 1976, but the majority still support the death penalty as a punishment.

Accepted Answer

National polls have consistently shown that while a significant portion of the American public believes that an innocent person has likely been executed since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976, a majority still supports the death penalty for certain crimes, indicating a complex set of beliefs regarding justice and punishment.

Question 19

As of February 2016, ________ states plus the District of Columbia have abolished the death penalty.

Accepted Answer

The answer of As of February 2016, ________ states plus...

Question 20

The three states of ________, Oklahoma, and Virginia accounted for 53% of all U.S. executions since 1976.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The three states of ________, Oklahoma, and...

Quiz 12: Capital Punishment