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Description & Citation--Study No. 3465

Bibliographic Description

ICPSR Study No.:3465
 
Persistent URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR03465
 
Title:Executions in the United States, 1608-1991: The Espy File [Instructional Materials]
 
Principal Investigator(s):James W. Oberly, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, Department of History
 
Funding Agency:University of Wisconsin. Office of Instructional Development.
 
Bibliographic Citation:Oberly, James W. EXECUTIONS IN THE UNITED STATES, 1608-1991: THE ESPY FILE [INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS] [Computer file]. Prepared by James W. Oberly, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, Department of History. ICPSR version. Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [distributor], 2002.
 

Scope of Study

Summary:These instructional materials were prepared for use with EXECUTIONS IN THE UNITED STATES, 1608-1991: THE ESPY FILE (ICPSR 8451), compiled by M. Watt Espy and John Ortiz Smykla. The data file (an SPSS portable file) and accompanying documentation are provided to assist educators in instructing students about the history of capital punishment in the United States. An instructor's handout is also included. This handout contains the following sections, among others: (1) general goals for student analysis of quantitative datasets, (2) specific goals in studying this dataset, (3) suggested appropriate courses for use of the dataset, (4) tips for using the dataset, and (5) related secondary source readings. This dataset furnishes data on executions performed under civil authority in the United States between 1608 and April 24, 1991, and describes each individual executed and the circumstances surrounding the crime for which the person was convicted. Variables include age, race, name, sex, and occupation of the offender, place, jurisdiction, date, and method of execution, and the crime for which the offender was executed. Also recorded are data on whether the only evidence for the execution was official records indicating that an individual (executioner or slave owner) was compensated for an execution.
 
Subject Term(s):capital punishment, civil rights, crime, criminal justice system, executions, instructional materials, offenders, offenses
 
Geographic Coverage:United States
 
Time Period:1608 - 1991
 
Date(s) of Collection:1989 - 2002
 
Universe:Executions that occurred under civil authority in the United States or within territory that later became part of the United States.
 
Data Type:aggregate data
 
Data Collection Notes:(1) This collection is part of SIMI (Site for Instructional Materials and Information), (link) an ICPSR initiative to promote the use of social science data in undergraduate education through the sharing of faculty-submitted ICPSR data-based instructional materials developed for classroom use. (2) These materials were designed for use with the dataset EXECUTIONS IN THE UNITED STATES, 1608-1991: THE ESPY FILE (ICPSR 8451) (link). (3) The data are provided as an SPSS portable file, which was created from the ASCII data and SPSS data definition statement files available from ICPSR 8451, 3rd edition. (4) The codebook and handout are provided by ICPSR as Portable Document Format (PDF) files. The PDF file format was developed by Adobe Systems Incorporated and can be accessed using PDF reader software, such as the Adobe Acrobat Reader. Information on how to obtain a copy of the Acrobat Reader is provided on the ICPSR Web site.
 

Methodology

Data Source:state Department of Corrections records, newspapers, county histories, proceedings of state and local courts, holdings of historical societies, and other listings of executions
 

Access and Availability

Note:A list of the data formats available for this study can be found in the summary of holdings. Detailed file-level information (such as record length, case count, and variable count) is listed in the file manifest.
 
Original ICPSR Release:2003-01-02
 

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