Death Penalty Trials and AppealsPertemuan 11Pertemuan 11

Matakuliah : L0472 - Psikologi ForensikTahun : Feb -2010

Justification of Punishment• Backward looking

– Retributive

• Forward looking– Detterence– Rehabilitation– Reconciliation

Detterence• Cross-sectional research• Longitudinal research

Types of Punishment• Positive punishment• Negative punishment

Side Effects of Punishment• Skinner (1938)• Boe & Church (1967)

Death Penalty, Does It Matter?• Severity, or• Immediateness and• Consistency

Capital Punishment• Link between attitude toward death penalty and

likelihood of conviction– Cannot bar person from serving on jury due to beliefs against

death penalty unless bias would result in ignoring evidence presented

– Research: pro-death penalty more likely from high status, conservative, authoritarian males

Methods of execution• Electrocution• Lethal injection• Hanging• Shooting• Beheading• Stoning

Arguments for death penalty• Deter perpetrators – would-be murderers fear being

caught• Protect society - convicted murderers prevented from

killing again• Provide justice for victim – a life for a life• Is state’s responsibility – to preserve order, to right

wrong• Is more humane than alternatives – life imprisonment is

a “living tomb”

Arguments for death penalty• “Following the prison spokesman's

announcement that Ted (Bundy) was officially dead, sounds of cheers came from the jubilant crowd and fireworks lit the sky. Shortly thereafter, a white hearse emerged from the prison gates with the remains of one of the countries most notorious serial killers. As the vehicle moved towards the crematorium, the surrounding crowd cheerfully applauded the end of a living nightmare.” From www.crimelibrary.com

Arguments against death penalty• Is barbaric – against human rights, base vengeance,

state-sanctioned murder• Does not deter crime – no substantial proof of

decreasing crime rates• Takes innocent lives – eg. Timothy Evans, prejudice

against certain groups• Has high costs – cases time-consuming• Has no possibility of rehabilitation – extenuating

circumstances