ch. 1. The death penalty : past and present -- ch. 2. The foundation cases : Furman v. Georgia and Gregg v. Georgia -- ch. 3. Race and the death penalty -- ch. 4. The mentally impaired and the death penalty -- ch. 5. The death penalty for juveniles -- ch. 6. Juries, jurors, and the death penalty -- ch. 7. The right to effective assistance of counsel and the death penalty -- ch. 8. Due process and the death penalty -- ch. 9. Aggravating and mitigating factors in death penalty cases -- ch. 10. Appeals, habeas corpus, and the death penalty -- ch. 11. Evolving standards of decency and the eighth amendment's ban on cruel and unusual punishment -- ch. 12. Other Issues, trends, and the future of the death penalty.