The Death Penalty: A Debate

by Ernest Van den Haag

Before the Killing Stopped.- Death but Not Torture.- 1. The Retributivist's Case against Capital Punishment.- 2. The Purpose of Punishment.- 3. The Deterrent Effect of the Death Penalty.- 4. More on the Deterrent Effect of the Death Penalty.- 5. Does Deterrence Need Capital Punishment?.- 6. Deterrence, the Death Penalty, and the Data.- 7. The Constitutional Question.- 8. Discrimination and Justice.- 9. Justice and Equality.- 10. Special Cases.- 11. Popular Arguments.- 12. Crimes of Passion.- 13. Death, Rehabilitation, the Bible, and Human Dignity.- 14. The Symbolic Meaning of the Death Penalty.- 15. The Abolitionist Rests.- 16. The Advocate Advocates.

320 pages, Paperback

First published August 21, 1983