出刊年月/Date of Publishing

2005.12

所屬卷期/Vol. & No.   第35卷第4期 Vol. 35, No. 4

類型/Type                 研究論文 Research Article

篇名/Title
美國聯邦主義與民意對美國廢止死刑之影響
American Federalism and American Public Attitudes Towards the Abolition of the Death Penalty

作者/Author
王玉葉 Lydia Yu-yeh Wang

頁碼/Pagination
pp. 775-827

摘要
目前全世界有近三分之二國家不再執行死刑。全歐洲與除美國以外的美洲，及澳洲、紐西蘭、南非等英語系國家已完全廢止死刑。與西方文明系出同源，號稱自由民主世界領導者，並自詡為人權鬥士的美國卻仍保留死刑，且每年執行人數名列世界前茅，與中國、伊拉克、伊朗及剛果等第三世界國家並列。在死刑問題上，美國成為西方國家之異數甚值得探討。本文擬探索美國聯邦主義與民意對美國各州死刑政策之影響。首先追溯美國廢止死刑運動之發展，並分析目前12州廢止死刑之因素。次檢視美國最高法院歷年審理死刑案件原則。最後檢視美國民意對死刑態度之轉變，並檢討民意調查之意涵與可信度。

Abstract
The international community has increasingly favored the abolition of capital punishment. The United States of America is one of only a few countries in the West to retain capital punishment and perceived internationally as a bastion of democracy and human rights. The death penalty, however, is pushing the U.S. further away from its allies and the growing consensus of international law. The European nations that share the Anglo-American heritage, America’s democratic values, and maintain close ties with their transatlantic partner, cannot understand how the U.S. can claim to be the leading champion of democracy and human rights, and nevertheless continue to apply the death penalty. The reasons why the U.S. has become such an anomaly compared with other Western-developed countries will be explored. This paper focuses on two factors: American federalism and American public attitudes towards the death penalty. It traces, first, the history of the movement to abolish the death penalty in the United States and looks into its influence on the federal and state system. It then looks into the reviewing standard of the U.S. Supreme Court on the constitutionality of the death penalty in several landmark death penalty cases. Lastly, it reviews the significance and accountability of public opinion, and questions its creditability and appropriateness as a reference for important decision-making on the death penalty system.

關鍵字/Key Word
暫停死刑執行、殘酷與不尋常之刑罰、過度且非必要之刑罰、演進中之正當行為標準、加重或減輕刑罰情節
moratorium on executions, cruel and unusual punishments, excessive and unnecessary penalty, evolving standards of decency, aggravating or mitigating circumstances

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DOI
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學門分類/Subject
法學 Law