Annotated bibliographies are provided for books and articles, congressional publications, and United States Supreme Court decisions. The purpose of the bibliography is to make hard data available to those who are participants in the debate over the validity of the death penalty. Most references provided are from 1972 or more recent. Roughly one-tenth of the references provided are older than 1972. The 1972 line is drawn around the "Furman v. Georgia" decision that held the death penalty not violative of the eighth amendment. Most references are limited to those produced in the United States. References were only included if they were accessible at a public library or a leading university. A list of articles and books that provided further references is also provided. Index included.