- Collection:
- Atlanta University and Clark Atlanta University Theses and Dissertations
- Title:
- A comparative analysis of the perceptions of prosecutors and defense attorneys regarding the death penalty, 2003
- Creator:
- Abernathy, Cheryl A.
- Date of Original:
- 2003-07-01
- Subject:
- Degrees, Academic
Dissertations, Academic - Location:
- United States, Georgia, Fulton County, Atlanta, 33.749, -84.38798
- Medium:
- theses
dissertations - Type:
- Text
- Format:
- application/pdf
- Description:
- The purpose of this study is to analyze and compare the perceptions of prosecutors and defense attorneys regarding the death penalty. The hypotheses were as follows: (1) There is no statistically significant difference between the perceptions of prosecutors and defense attorneys regarding the death penalty as a deterrent to crime. (2) There is no statistically significant difference between the perceptions of prosecutors and defense attorneys regarding the death penalty as fair punishment for a capital crime. A comparative research design analyzed the comparisons between the dependent variables and selected demographic and independent variables. The dependent variables included: (1) Perceptions of prosecutors and defense attorneys regarding the death penalty as a deterrent to crime, and (2) Perceptions of prosecutors and defense attorneys regarding the death penalty as a fair punishment for a capital crime. The demographic and independent variables were: (1) gender, (2) age, (3) marital status, (4) employment, (5) race, (6) income, (7) religion, (8) execution of juveniles, (9) life without parole, (10) limiting appeals, and (11) job experience. A sample of 135 criminal prosecutors and defense attorneys was surveyed in this study. These participants were employed in district attorney and public defender offices in the Atlanta metropolitan area. Frequency distributions explained the demographic and independent variables. Chi-square and t-tests analyzed the hypotheses of the study. The Social Disorganization Theory was explored because of its suitability with crime causation and its ecological approach. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) utilized computations to organize the data. Findings were analyzed and indications concluded that there was a statistically significant difference in the perceptions of prosecutors and defense attorneys regarding the death penalty.
Degree type: dissertation
Degree name: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Granting institution: Clark Atlanta University
Department: School of Social Work
Advisor: Ajo, Amos A. - Metadata URL:
- http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12322/cau.td:2003_abernathy_cheryl_a
- Holding Institution:
- Atlanta University Center Robert W. Woodruff Library
- Rights:
-
