The concept and implementation of the booklet came from a university seminar, as students interviewed family, friends, peers and the general public to determine their questions about capital punishment. The questions were researched through an extensive literature review. The questions and answers deal first with the extent and history of American and international executions, followed by consideration of capital punishment laws and beliefs and attitudes about the death penalty. A series of questions and answers focuses on lynchings in America. Information pertaining to the courts and capital punishment includes a review of major relevant U.S. Supreme Court decisions, the capital punishment appeals process, and factors associated with the processing and disposition of capital cases. Questions and answers related to the execution itself address execution methods, the executioner's role, and execution rituals. Other topics considered are the characteristics of capital crimes, offenders, victims, and the communities in which capital crimes occur; racial, sexual, and social status factors in the use of the death penalty; death row; capital punishment themes in the American culture; capital punishment information sources; and an outline for a seminar course on capital punishment. 27 tables and charts and 27 illustrations.