Books & Audio-Visual
AlleyCat
Use AlleyCat, the CCAC online catalog, to find materials at any of the CCAC libraries
Reference & Overview Sources
Full Text? Database Name Vendor Help
yes CQ Researcher CQ Press info
yes Crime and Punishment in America Reference Library Gale  
yes Issues & Controversies Facts.com info
yes Opposing Viewpoints Gale info
Magazine & Journal Articles
Full Text? Database Name Vendor Help
yes Academic Search Premier EBSCOhost info
yes MasterFILE Premier EBSCOhost info
no Alternative Press Index FirstSearch info
no Alternative Press Index Archive FirstSearch info
Web Sites: Statistics, Background, News and International Aspects
Bureau of Justice Statistics
Find statistics on topics related to crime, including capital punishment, jail and prison populations, prosecution statistics, probation and parole, etc. Searchable. Look under "Corrections" for capital punishment.
Death Penalty Information Center
Primarily statistics on capital punishment (national, by state, by race, international aspects, costs of the death penalty, women, etc.). Also sections on deterrence and innocent people who have been executed and a section on mental retardation and the death penalty. Includes links to related sites and full text reports on various aspects of capital punishment. Includes a forum of information and news concerning the events of September 11, 2001, as they relate to capital punishment.
September 11, 2001: A Forum of Information and News, Especially Related Punishment
A link within the Death Penalty Information Center that contains articles, legislation and news in regards to terrorists and the death penalty.
Web Sites: Pro and Con
American Bar Association: Recommended Moratorium on Capital Punishment
In 1997 the American Bar Association issued this recommended moratorium on capital punishment until strict procedures and guidelines, designed to protect individual rights and eliminate the execution of innocent people, are met. A supporting document in WordPerfect format can be downloaded from the site.
Beyond Reason: The Death Penalty and Offenders with Mental Retardation
Human Rights Watch presents a thorough examination of capital punishment and the mentally retarded in support of its position to ban capital punishment. The report includes an overview of mental retardation, an examination of justice system in regard to mentally impaired offenders, and case studies of individual offenders.
Capital punishment - the Death Penalty
An overview of capital punishment presented by the Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance. Includes pro and con arguments, statistics, history, and an extensive bibliography, many of which link to online resources.
The Case Against the Death Penalty
This paper by Hugo Adam Bedau, professor of philosophy at Tufts University, presents a variety of arguments against the death penalty. Originally published as a pamphlet by the American Civil Liberties Union in 1992.
Death Penalty (Amnesty International)
Amnesty International takes a strong stand against the death penalty. This site features current news items (archived to March 2000), interviews, and facts. Fact Sheets cover topics related to the death penalty such as juveniles, mental retardation, foreign nationals, and innocence. Includes information on the international aspects of the death penalty.
Frontline: Angel on Death Row
Sponsored by PBS in support of a Frontline broadcast on capital punishment. Includes pro and con essays from Supreme Court justices and others, and a chronology on capital punishment from colonial America through 1997.
Pro-Death Penalty.com
Sponsored by Justice for All, a victim's rights organization. Includes links to articles and a long "Death Penalty Paper" arguing in support of capital punishment. Includes scheduled executions with details on each case.