To Die or Not to Die: Morality, Ethics, and the Death Penalty ................................................................. The Death Penalty in Perspective: Facts about the

doi:10.4324/9781315721538-21

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To Die or Not to Die: Morality, Ethics, and the Death Penalty ................................................................. The Death Penalty in Perspective: Facts about the

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ABSTRACT

The death penalty fascinates us: its merits are debated, producers make movies about the death penalty (Dead Man Walking, The Life of David Gale, The Green Mile), and politicians use it as a sign that they are serious about the crime issue. The fascination with the ultimate sanction persists even though most murderers do not receive the death penalty, and of those who are sentenced to be executed, many get off death row in other ways, such as through court appeals.