The three major procedural reforms the Court approved in Gregg were bifurcated trials, guidelines for judges and juries to follow, and automatic appellate review. Cost of the death penalty a. Many poor defendants sentenced to death had lawyers who had never handled a capital case before, or lawyers who had been reprimanded or disciplined or were subsequently disbarred. No other reason was selected by as many as 20 percent of death penalty proponents. The third factor that sustains death penalty support is the symbolic value it has for politicians and criminal justice officials.
Politicians use support for the death penalty as a symbol of their toughness on crime.