132. The Supreme Court has decided that it is constitutional to allow jurors opposed to the death penalty to be excluded
from capital trials. What effect might this have on decisions made by such juries? Can such juries be “fair and impartial”
according to the Sixth Amendment? Explain your answer while drawing from material in the text.
133. According to Roper v. Simmons (2005), individuals who have committed crimes under the age of 18 are not eligible
to for the death penalty. Why is this so important to the cultural morals and values of our present day society? Do we
value youth or are we eternally hopeful of the power of rehabilitation?
134. We typically take the advent of DNA for granted, oftentimes forgetting that it is still a relatively new concept. Is
DNA foolproof? What errors, if any, may occur while relying on only DNA for evidence?
135. The term CSI effect is thrown around quite liberally among criminal justice professionals. What exactly is the CSI
effect? How has it impacted the courtroom, especially the modern-day juror?
136. Can and should the death penalty be abolished? How would this impact society? Can we truly say we value life and
yet resort to the death penalty? Why or why not?
137. Currently, mentally ill defendants can be put to death in those states that have capital punishment. Should mental
illness be an eliminating factor when it comes to the death penalty? Why or why not?
138. Should those individuals who have served time and later found wrongfully convicted have reparations paid to them
by the governmental body who wrongly incarcerated them? Can you place a monetary value on the loss of freedom?