Call For Papers

The Justice System Journal , sponsored by the National Center for State Courts, will be publishing a special issue on aspects of capital punishment; the likely publication date is late 2008. The journal's editors would be interested in receiving proposals –from academics and practitioners alike– for possible articles for that special issue. A list of possible topics appears below; most relate to courts and actors in the courts, but suggestions for other topics will be considered. The journal does not publish normative or philosophical work nor extended analyses of case law. There are no restrictions on the types of methodology used, but use of elaborate statistics in the final articles is discouraged. Prospective authors are reminded that, although academics read the Justice System Journal, the journal's primary audience is court administrators and other court practitioners.

  We specify no particular manuscript length but would prefer that articles be no longer than thirty (30) double-spaced pages, inclusive of tables and references; use of footnotes should be minimal. The likely deadline for submission of manuscripts will be early 2008.

  Anyone interested should communicate by e-mail with the present editor-in-chief, at wasb@albany.edu, and should indicate the proposed topic. It is preferable that prospective authors send a brief proposal/abstract/precis approximately two paragraphs in length, which should also indicate the proposed length of the article manuscript. An initial inquiry about topic appropriateness may be made and is welcomed. Prospective authors should provide some information about their training and experience.

   Stephen L. Wasby , Editor-in-Chief, Justice System Journal

     Professor of Political Science Emeritus, University at Albany - SUNY

   Robert M. Howard, Associate Editor-designate

    Associate Professor of Political Science, Georgia State University , Atlanta   

Capital punishment special issue - topics

•    Juries in death penalty cases

  - Difficulties in selecting capital juries

  - Deliberations by capital jurors

  - Psychological effects on jurors

  - Race in capital juries

•    Judges in capital cases

  - Problems in managing capital cases

  - Effect of changes in judge sentencing ( e.g., Ring v. Arizona )

  - Challenges to judges in capital cases

  - Are there “hanging” judges?

  - Effects on judges' lives

•    Courts and capital cases:

  - Special processes for handling (e.g., the Ninth Circuit death penalty en banc)

  - Impact on: consumption of time; other caseload effects

  - Problems with proportionality review

  - Use of expert witnesses

  - The role of victims and victim impact statements

•  Media problems: how to deal with public

  - Difficulties on appeal: massive records;    stay requests (including last-minute)

  - Collateral attacks (e.g., AEDPA effects on fed court oversight of state capital cases)

  - Undoing wrongful convictions

•    Lawyers and capital cases

- Private attorneys handling capital cases   

  - Special (dedicated) trial defense units   

  - Special (dedicated) appellate defense units

  - The pro se capital defen dan t

  - Prosecution of capital cases

    - Who does it, and is it specialized?

- Plea bargaining and the death penalty

  - Procedures used in decision to pursue death penalty

•    The law of capital punishment

  - Has the law of capital punishment distorted criminal procedure?

  - Changes in the law of capital punishment

•    Judicial - executive - legislative interaction

  - The role of clemency and moratoria