Deck 8: The Color of Death Race and the Death Penalty

Question 1

In ____ the Court ruled that the execution of someone who is intellectually disabled is cruel and unusual punishment in violation of the Eighth Amendment.

A)2002
B)2005
C)1990
D)1996

Answer 1

A

Question 2

In _____ the Supreme Court banned the execution of those who were under age 18 at the time of their crime.

A)1972
B)1977
C)2005
D)2002

Answer 2

C

Question 3

The __________ prohibits the destruction of DNA evidence in federal criminal cases while a defendant remains incarcerated.

A)Justice for All Act
B)Racial Justice Act
C)Innocence Protection Act
D)Death Penalty Reform Act

Answer 3

C

Question 4

__________ banned executing those with intellectual disabilities.

A)Furman v. Georgia (1972)
B)Furman v. Georgia (1972)
C)Roper v. Simmons (2005)
D)Atkins v. Virginia (2002)

Question 5

Although the exoneration of death row inmates and subsequent decisions to impose a moratorium on executions has led to a decline in support, ___ percent of Americans still reported in October 2014 that they favored the death penalty for people convicted of murder.

A)45
B)55
C)75
D)63

Question 6

The death penalty may be used for an offender convicted of felony murder if the person:

A)was present at the time of the crime and shows no remorse.
B)played a major role in the crime and displayed "reckless indifference to the value of human life. "
C)pulled the trigger.
D)knew about the crime before it was committed and didn't tell anyone.

Question 7

__________ affirmed the use of guided discretion in death penalty statutes.

A)McCleskey v. Kemp (1987)
B)Gregg v. Georgia (1976)
C)Tison v. Arizona (1987)
D)Roberts v. Louisiana (1976)

Question 8

In Gregg v. Georgia , the Court noted that public opinion and ___________ were in favor of the death penalty.

A)federal judges
B)police officers
C)the president
D)state legislators

Question 9

The collective cases of the Martinsville Seven are especially noteworthy because they were the first cases in which the defendants:

A)were prohibited from introducing empirical evidence of racial discrimination in the administration of the death penalty.
B)introduced empirical evidence of the possibility that racial discrimination existed in the administration of the death penalty.
C)explicitly argued that the death penalty was administered in a racially discriminatory manner.
D)successfully appealed their convictions by demonstrating racial discrimination in the administration of the death penalty.

Question 10

The __________ provides funding to states to help defray the costs of post-conviction DNA testing.

A)Justice for All Act
B)Racial Justice Act
C)Innocence Protection Act
D)Death Penalty Reform Act

Question 11

Cruel and unusual punishments are prohibited by the __________ Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

A)Fourth
B)Sixth
C)Fifth
D)Eighth

Question 12

The U.S. Supreme Court condemned "arbitrary and wanton jury discretion" in:

A)Furman v. Georgia (1972).
B)Coker v. Georgia (1977).
C)Roper v. Simmons (2005).
D)Atkins v. Virginia (2002).

Question 13

__________ directly addressed the issue of victim-based racial discrimination in the application of the death penalty.

A)McCleskey v. Kemp (1987)
B)Gregg v. Georgia (1976)
C)Tison v. Arizona (1987)
D)Roberts v. Louisiana (1976)

Question 14

In 2003, the governor of __________ commuted the sentences of all of the state's death row inmates to life in prison because of his concerns about systemic error .

A)Kentucky
B)Virginia
C)Illinois
D)Missouri

Question 15

In 2005 the Court ruled that the Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments forbid the imposition of the death penalty on offenders who were younger than ___ when their crimes were committed.

A)18
B)17
C)21
D)16

Question 16

As a result of __________, the death penalty statutes in 39 states were invalidated.

A)Furman v. Georgia (1972)
B)Coker v. Georgia (1977)
C)Gregg v. Georgia (1976)
D)Roberts v. Louisiana (1976)

Question 17

Researchers have raised questions about poll results concerning support for the death penalty, suggesting that such support is not absolute but depends on such things as the circumstances of the case, the character of the defendant, or:

A)the alternative punishments that are available.
B)the educational background of the victim.
C)the time of year the crime occurred.
D)the location of the crime.

Question 18

In ____ the Supreme Court banned imposing the death penalty on a defendant convicted of rape.

A)Furman v. Georgia (1972)
B)Coker v. Georgia (1977)
C)Roper v. Simmons (2005)
D)Atkins v. Virginia (2002)

Question 19

In ____ the Court took up the issue of lethal injection, ruling that Kentucky's 3-drug protocol for administering lethal injection did not amount to cruel and unusual punishment under the Eighth Amendment.

A)2001
B)2005
C)2008
D)2010

Question 20

The U.S. House of Representatives responded to McCleskey v. Kemp by adding the __________ to the Omnibus Crime Bill of 1994.

A)Justice for All Act
B)Racial Justice Act
C)Innocence Protection Act
D)Death Penalty Reform Act

Question 21

The Eighth Amendment to the Constitution prohibits "cruel and unusual punishments."

Question 22

Studies of the use of capital punishment for the crime of rape reveal overt and pervasive discrimination against African Americans in the pre- Furman era.

Question 23

Convicted Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh was the first federal offender after 1963 to be put to death.

Question 24

Gregg v. Georgia (1976)established the use of __________ discretion in death penalty statutes.

Question 25

The  Death Penalty Act of 1994 reduced the number of federal offenses to the list of capital crimes by 20 offenses.

Question 26

Bowers found that about ______ of survey respondents, along with 80 percent of jurors in capital cases, agreed that "the death penalty is too arbitrary because some people are executed and others are sent to prison for the very same crimes."

A)half
B)a quarter
C)three-quarters
D)90 percent

Question 27

Cruel and unusual punishments are prohibited by the __________ Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

Question 28

Several studies suggest that African Americans, and particularly  African Americans who murdered or raped whites, were "singled out for more severe  punishment" in the pre- Furman era.

Question 29

A 2007 Gallup poll found that 70 percent of whites and __ percent of African Americans expressed support for the death penalty.

A)20
B)40
C)60
D)80

Question 30

Roper v. Simmons (2005)banned execution of those who were under age _____ at the time of their crime. 

Question 31

In 1991, the Supreme Court denied McCleskey's claim, asserting that the issue  should have been raised in his first appeal.

Question 32

Fifty-nine percent of whites and __ percent of African Americans stated that they believed the death penalty was applied fairly.

A)15
B)32
C)40
D)70

Question 33

Coker v. Georgia (1977)banned imposing the death penalty on a defendant convicted of __________.

Question 34

There is extensive evidence that those who murder whites, and particularly African Americans who murder whites, are sentenced to death and executed at disproportionately high rates .

Question 35

In the Supreme Court ' s decision in Furman v. Georgia , ___ of the five justices in the majority mentioned the problem of racial discrimination in the application of the death penalty.

A)1
B)2
C)3
D)4

Question 36

____________ of racial discrimination in the capital sentencing process has been used to mount constitutional challenges to the imposition of the death penalty.

A)Faulty evidence
B)Public opinion
C)Anecdotal evidence
D)Empirical evidence

Question 37

There is little evidence of geographic variation in support for the death penalty explained by social context.

Question 38

In 2003, the governor of __________ commuted the sentences of all of the state's death row inmates to life in prison because of his concerns about systemic error .

Question 39

Justice Thurgood Marshall suggested that public opinion data demonstrating widespread support for the death penalty should be given little weight in determining whether capital punishment is consistent with "evolving standards of decency."

Question 40

Numerous studies clearly indicate that Hispanics have been sentenced to death and executed "in numbers far out of proportion to their numbers in the population."

Question 41

Is there evidence of discrimination in death penalty sentencing today? Be sure to outline the evidence both supporting and opposing your viewpoint in your response .

Question 42

The U.S. House of Representatives responded to McCleskey v. Kemp by adding the __________ Justice Act to the Omnibus Crime Bill of 1994.

Question 43

Explain why the U.S. Supreme Court found the post- Furman mandatory death penalty statutes enacted by North Carolina and Louisiana to be unconstitutional.

Question 44

Justice Marshall suggested that if the general public knew all of the facts of how the death penalty is implemented, they would not support it. Evaluate his statement in light of the research presented in the chapter.

Question 45

Concerns about fairness and discrimination in the capital sentencing process  prompted death penalty opponents to call not for procedural reforms but for a  ____________on executions in the United States.

Question 46

Describe the steps in the federal capital sentencing process in the post- Furman era. Has this process resolved racial disparities in death penalty sentencing on the federal level? Provide evidence to support your claims. 

Question 47

In Furman v. Georgia (1972), the U.S. Supreme Court condemned "arbitrary and wanton jury __________ ."  

Question 48

The Innocence Protection Act of 2004 provides funding to states to help defray the costs of post-conviction __________ testing .

Question 49

McCleskey v. Kemp (1987)considered whether _______ evidence was sufficient to demonstrate the presence of racial discrimination in the application of the death penalty .

Question 50

Why do so many commentators believe that public opinion polls about attitudes toward the death penalty are so problematic? How might we revise poll questions to eliminate some of these problems?