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Ultimate Penalties: Capital Punishment, Life Imprisonment, Physical Torture

NCJ Number
108230
Author(s)
L S Sheleff
Date Published
1987
Length
492 pages
Annotation
This book examines the pros and cons of the 'ultimate' punishments of life imprisonment, physical torture, and capital punishment from perspectives rooted in attitudes toward death, suicide, euthanasia, and all forms of violence.
Abstract
The book examines whether life imprisonment as an alternative to capital punishment may be as tortuous or less humane than capital punishment, since the offender is potentially subjected to a meaningless, dehumanizing existence. It considers whether a convicted person has a right to acquiesce in the imposition of the death penalty, and considers the use of pardoning and commutation power to amend the original sentence. It also looks at the use or abuse of political power in executing persons without a formal court decision. Central to the book's theme are the attitudes toward death prevalent and how these attitudes shape policies regarding the death penalty. The author argues that societal views of suicide and euthanasia prevalent in a society affect feelings about capital punishment. Other topics considered are the manner in which capital punishment and other extreme punishments reflect ideological beliefs and political interests, the appropriate punishment for those who have committed heinous crimes, and rules for the protection of life in social control. Given the potential abuses of 'ultimate' punishments, the book proposes that an international court ensure that due process procedures have been followed in the imposition and implementation of all extreme punishments. Chapter footnotes and subject, name, and case indexes.

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