Week 9

1. There is a clear world trend away from capital punishment. What do you see as the most impor- tant reasons for this trend?

2. Should the United States be influenced by this world trend in establishing its own national pun- ishment policy? Why or why not?

3. How do you explain the fact that the United States is one of the few nations in the world that actively employs the death penalty, and that the other nations are largely those withwhich the United States shares very little in common (i.e., few are U.S. allies or developed countries)?