Capital Punishment

             Capital punishment falls under the category of Ideological/Single-Issue interest groups. They are organized through mainly through religious institutions or chapters and state affiliates.
             The ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union) has approximately 300,000 members nationwide and is based on strict adherence to federal and state constitutions and their Bill of Rights. The ACLU believes that capital punishment violates the Constitutional prohibitions on cruel and unusual punishment and equal protection of the laws (aclu.org). The ACLU is extremely influential because it has been around for more than 80 years and is a highly respected organization.
             Concerning this issue, the ACLU has been involved in lobbying efforts to create a moratorium (temporary suspension) on executions. The proposed bill, "National Death Penalty Moratorium Act of 2001," has been sponsored by Democratic Senator Russell Feingold and co-sponsored by Senator Jon Corzine, Richard Durbin, Carl Levin and Paul Wellstone (thomas.loc.gov). This bill states that "States should enact a moratorium on executions to allow time to review whether their administration of the death penalty is consistent with constitutional requirements of fairness, justice, equality, and due process...to minimize the risk that innocent persons may be executed."
             Another effort they are involved in is the "Death Penalty Reform Bill" sponsored by Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Patrick Leahy. The bill strongly supports DNA testing, even if a prisoner in the state's custody requests it. It also increases higher penalties if an individual is unjustly sentenced to death. This bill is supported by 25 other Senators (thomas.loc.gov).
             The third recent bill that was reviewed in Congress is the Innocence Protection Act of 2001 sponsored by Dianne Feinstein, also a member of the Judiciary Committee. This Act makes the investigative process more accurate by requiring DN...

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Capital Punishment. (1969, December 31). In MegaEssays.com. Retrieved 05:06, March 28, 2024, from https://www.megaessays.com/viewpaper/74729.html