History of Capital Punishment
HeinOnline Specialist
Additional Resources
This libguide from Santa Clara University's Heafey Law Library provides information on conducting research on the death penalty, including historical materials, social science resources, and moral/ethical philosophy.
This research guide from Case Western Reserve University, while tailored to the University's Death Penalty Research Lab 1 &2, provides resources of value to all researchers.
The Death Penalty Project at Cornell Law School sponsors several clinics that provide students with the opportunity to assist in the representation of capital defendants, both at trial and at various stages in the appeals process. The project also sponsors periodic symposia related to capital punishment and, in addition, conducts empirical research relating to the administration of capital punishment in the United States.
This libguide from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign provides suggested resources and other information for beginning research on the death penalty.
This page from the Bureau of Justice Statistics, a division of the Department of Justice, contains BJS reports, publications, and data on persons held under sentence of death and executed.
Capital Punishment Resource Guide
This resource guide from the National Center for State Courts, an non-profit that seeks to improve judicial administration, contains a bibliography of resources on capital punishment in the United States and around the world, with links to online resources where available.
Death Penalty Information Center
The Death Penalty Information Center is a national non-profit organization serving the media and the public with analysis and information on issues concerning capital punishment. Founded in 1990, the Center promotes informed discussion of the death penalty by preparing in-depth reports, conducting briefings for journalists, and serving as a resource to those working on this issue.
This link contains reports and data from the Pew Research Center on capital punishment, including long-term trends on public opinion.
The Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping the world. It conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, content analysis and other data-driven social science research and does not take policy positions.
This page from the National Conference of State Legislatures provides an overview of capital punishment in the United States, including state laws, U.S. Supreme Court decisions, and methods of execution currently employed.
The National Conference of State Legislatures represents the legislatures in the states, territories and commonwealths of the U.S. Its mission is to advance the effectiveness, independence and integrity of legislatures and to foster interstate cooperation and facilitate the exchange of information among legislatures.
States With and Without the Death Penalty
This page from the Death Penalty Information Center contains an interactive map of the United States that shows the status of death penalty laws across the country.
The Death Penalty Information Center is a national non-profit organization serving the media and the public with analysis and information on issues concerning capital punishment. Founded in 1990, the Center promotes informed discussion of the death penalty by preparing in-depth reports, conducting briefings for journalists, and serving as a resource to those working on this issue.